The Brightholt Chronicles
by Origm2012
Summary: An affluent town on the West coast of Fiore is home to 3 guilds. They'll compete for incoming recruits. Protect Brightholt City from danger. And battle against one another for dominance. An SYOC story
1. Brightholt City

**October 13, X791, 12:00 P.M, Alliance Hall**

Jade looked around at the other two guild masters.

To his right was Narissa Ash, master of the Scarlet Phantoms. She had wrapped herself in a light red shawl that hid most of her features, but a keen eye could tell she was well endowed and possessed a firm figure for a women just shy of forty. With only her head exposed, her dark green eyes and auburn colored hair contrasted each other magnificently. Her lack of wrinkles and near porcelain skin contributed to the illusion that she was far younger than she actually was. Her long hair flowed freely about her shoulders. From afar, she was a vision of red and you could get lost in her eyes if it weren't for her voice. She spoke in a semi-regal, blunt tone. Narissa's incessant talking always came off as lecturing, so it was easy to get lost in your own thoughts once these meetings began.

Jade looked to his left now.

A very short man clad in black and blue striped pajamas sat cross legged in his seat. The bald man-child had fallen asleep. Peeking out from behind his shirt's collar, you could see the guild mark of their famous knight stamp. If you listened carefully, you could hear him lightly snoring between breaths. He was clearly the oldest of the three of them, but often behaved the most carefree and childlike.

Jade thought carefully about what course of action would be the most entertaining. Should he wake Master Seigfried or tell Narissa that her words were falling on deaf ears. Just as she finished what seemed to be an important point, Jade chimed in as convincingly as possible "I agree entirely. Don't you Roy?" he said turning to Master Seigfried.

Startled at the sound of his name, Seigfried jumped from his seat to a combative stance on the round table they had been sitting around. Narissa finally caught on to Seigfried's antics and as the two began to bicker, Jade slipped away from his seat to the window. He looked out from the floating headquarters they were currently in. Beneath him lay the place they called home. Brightholt City. Their three guilds all resided in this City. Its sheer size had prompted the mayor to invite mages to start guilds here. He hadn't thought about the possibility of three famous mages all coming here and requesting to start a guild. So when they all provided adequate plans for respective guilds, he accepted all of them. The first few months were rocky. They would fight over everything; Recruits entering the city, job requests and at times even territory in the city. This is why they would have these meetings. They used anti-gravity lacrima to suspend the guild masters' meeting place in the sky above the city. This way they could watch over their city and have their meetings. They allowed all three guild masters to come to an understanding, build relations with one another and even create a fearsome and aptly named alliance, the Brightholt alliance. To dark guilds and legal guilds, they were collectively frightening. To each other, they were constantly locked in an unspoken competition for supremacy in Brightholt. These meetings had changed everything.

An eruption of joy from beneath them snapped Jade from his thoughts. "Well, almost everything." He said aloud to Seigfried and Narissa who seemed to be locked in a fierce wrestling match of some sort. He smiled and jumped from the window. "Good luck!" he called to his fellow guild masters as he descended and they finally caught on. That sound meant that someone with magical potential had entered their town.

The guild masters had come to an understanding. They would be at peace with one another. Help one another. Even share with one another. And outside of friendly competitions, they would be as neighborly as possible. But all gloves went off when it came to recruitment. They knew that recruiting was the key to usurping the Brightholt title of most powerful guild. With the Scarlet Phantoms in first and Master Seigfried's Eternal knights in second, Jade knew he had to recruit someone powerful to pull his guild from last. The ground broke beneath him as he landed. And he stood unfazed. He was positive that this recruit would be the one that would bring Nova Eos the fame it deserved.

* * *

**October 13, X791, 11:30 A.M, 5 miles east of Brightholt**

"I'm so tired" Adrienne yelled to no one. She had lost her money in the last town and couldn't afford the train ticket to Brightholt. So for lack of a better mode of transportation, she was walking there. She had been walking for the better part of two days and still hadn't gotten there. And now she was aimlessly walking through a forest. The directions she had made it seem like Brightholt City was only a day away. She stopped walking and thought aloud to herself. "Nope, I can't get down. Brightholt has got to be near and once I'm there, I'll finally become a Scarlet Phantom." She burst off in a sprint and very slowly the forest became less and less thick until it opened out into a brightly lit clearing.

The sun had dispatched any shadows in the slight clearing. The warm glow added a shiny hue to her waist length jet black hair. Watching from afar would cause one to mistake her face for that of an enchantress. Her complexion was snow white and seemed to look even lovelier in the sun. But the illusion would be shattered by her choice of wardrobe. She was no princess. Her long black baggy pants settled low on her hips and she wore a single layered long sleeved shirt that was red in support of her favorite guild. It had a very modest neck line allowing a small peak at her frame. She carried a small white backpack with her belongings.

Adrienne took a moment to catch her breath in the clearing. Without the forest looming over her, she could see a building floating in the air. She squealed in excitement and sprinted off again into the forest. This time, her excitement got the better of her and she activated a spell allowing her to run at unimaginable speeds. She focused her magic into her feet and then tripled her speed. As she got closer and closer to the floating building, the forest thinned out and a path revealed itself. With her eyes fixed on the floating building in the distance, she didn't realize when she had reached the city and burst onto a crimson cobblestone path. The stones cause her to lose her footing and she was sent tumbling into a nearby building. Her speed sent her flying through the walls until she finally came to a stop.

She sat up. She knew she had reached Brightholt City. But as she shook off her dizziness, she took in the scene around her. She had broken through three walls and tumbled out into a town square of some sort. She jumped to her feet immediately and with tears in her eyes began apologizing to any person whose gaze she could meet. She thought to herself. _Great, I'm only here thirty seconds and my dream is over. No one is gonna want me in their guild now._ Just as her tears were about to fall, the town erupted into a celebration. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Everyone was laughing and dancing and shaking her hand and welcoming her to the town. She could hear people asking through the crowd, "If she was here to join a guild?" and asking her which guild she was going to join. She didn't know how to respond or who to respond to, the chaos around her was too confusing. Adrienne was grateful when a loud voice resounded through the city and beckoned them to quiet down.

She looked around for the source of the voice and saw a short man floating in the air. If it wasn't for his aged appearance, she would have been sure he was a child. He floated in the air and sat cross legged.

He looked down at the young girl and smiled to her. "Hello, young lady, what's your name?"

Before she could answer, there was a loud noise. To her left, she heard more and more commotion.

"Move. Move. Move you idiots" exclaimed one man in the crowd. This was followed by several townspeople sent flying away. Pushing his way to the front was a rather tall muscular man dressed in Green open collared shirt and white pants. He had a long black pony tail that went down to his back and was held tightly together by several rubber bands. He seemed nice enough, but fiercely made his way over to the old man.

Before he could speak, the old man greeted him. "Nice of you to join us Jade."

Adrienne was at a loss for words. The name registered instantly. This man was the famed Earth master of Nova Eos.

"You cheated Seigfried. There's no magic allowed in recruitment."

Adrienne was beside herself now. She had been in the city for a few minutes and already two guild masters were before her.

The old man seemed to barely register Master Jade's words. "Oh, did we agree on that?" Seigfried replied absent mindedly. "I must have forgotten. You know I'm getting old." He said with a grin. All the while his eyes fixated on the girl in front of him.

"My name is Adrienne" the young girl finally replied. "I decided to join a guild after my 17th birthday. So I've been traveling here for the last few months."

The old man's eyes brightened at her short story, but before he could respond or Jade could get his two cents in, a woman's voice commanded the townspeople to move aside.

"Make way for Mistress Ash" it proclaimed. The river of people parted and down its path, a woman dressed in black and red holding a clip board announced the arrival of her mistress. The assistant turned to Adrienne. With an air of nobility and monotony in her voice, she said "Good day miss…" She waited for Adrienne to give her name before resuming. "Miss Adrienne, our lady would like to welcome you to Brightholt City." She said gesturing to the members of the crowd in red and to the woman who could be none other than Adrienne's idol, Narissa Ash.

Adrienne hadn't noticed it, but the crowd had slowly been dyed a mixture of Red, Green and White, and Blue and Black.

The assistant cut straight to the chase. "I am Madeline Sable, the head of recruitment for the Scarlet Phantoms. We would like to know your magic before you join us."

Adrienne was taken aback. A moment ago, she was sure she would be kicked out of Brightholt and now her dream was moments from coming true.

"Now, hold on a moment." Master Jade cut in. "She hasn't said that she wishes to join you all." He nodded to Adrienne now. "Adrienne has said that she is looking for a guild to join. So, it could be anyone of us."

Madeline looked confused. "Is there some reason she wouldn't join the strongest guild this side of Fiore." She retorted.

Adrienne snapped back to reality. Her idols had asked her a question and she hadn't answered yet. "I use speed magic."

As if her response to Madeline held all the answers Jade needed, he hung his head in defeat.

Seigfried, who had been quiet, nodded in admiration of Adrienne.

Adrienne smiled happily; this was the moment that she had been waiting for. She would finally become a Phantom.

"We don't need her" said Narissa finally speaking. Adrienne's world shattered. "Our guild is the strongest, because we only take the strongest." Narissa added condescendingly. "The scarlet Phantom's already have someone amongst their numbers who is well versed in speed magic." Turning away from the crowd, she departed back up the same pathway that had been cleared for her. "Here, one of you can have her." She said to Seigfried and Jade.

Adrienne stood there frozen. How could her idol be so cruel?

Jade could see the defeat in the young girl's eyes before him, but he didn't know what he could say to comfort her.

Seigfried landed in front of Adrienne. "Listen, child." He said tilting her head down to face him. "Narissa is under the impression, that only the magic people use is unique. I've been around a long time and I know that it's the mages who make a magic unique."

Jade finally understanding what needed to be said chimed in now. "Narissa is powerful, but her desire for dominance has blinded her to what's really important. Make no mistake, she cares for her guild. But she has forgotten that a guild is a family first and foremost." They renewed Adrienne's hope. "If you're still willing, then we of Nova Eos, would be honored to have you." Added Jade.

Seigfreid was grinning proudly at Jade. "You've grown quite a lot Jade. Even I'm proud of you my old friend."

Jade looked down at his friend and tried his best to hide the pride that the compliment gave him.

"I think I've made up my mind" said Adrienne. A hush ran over the town as everyone awaited her answer. "I will join the Eternal Knights."

Half of the crowd erupted in cheer and even Jade maintained his composure. Several mages rushed forward and hoisted Adrienne onto their shoulders and ushered her from the town square to their part of town.

* * *

**October 13, X791, 12:30 P.M, Eternal Knight's Headquarters**

The crowd let Adrienne down outside the guild hall. Master Seigfried floated overhead and landed in front of the building. The building's three floors could be seen clear from outside. It was mostly a dark blue and with black trim on all of the edges. "We know, you weren't your first choice, but we're very glad to have you here with us." Master Seigfried said.

Adrienne finally realized how her presence might have made everyone feel. "I came here with the intention of joining the Scarlet Phantoms." She turned to the crowd of mages around her now. "But, after meeting everyone and knowing what I know now. There's no place I'd rather be." The crowd of mages burst into cheers once more and escorted her into the building.

The inside had a similar color scheme. The blue and black trim was along every wall and the banisters and columns were all a dark blue color. At the side opposite the front door was a bar. Towards the center of the guild one could see the mages hanging around at several tables and what looked like bedrooms on the higher floors. She couldn't see the highest floor and when Master Seigfried caught her craning her neck. He explained that it's the S-Class floor. He also went on to point out several other building peculiarities.

"The bedrooms are on the second floor, you may need one of those and that's the bar over there and my office is right next to it." He had been very calm and understanding earlier, but now he was like an excited child at a toy store.

She would chime in from time to time with a question. Something like "Are new recruits usually welcomed like this?" Or "why is recruitment such a big deal for ordinary citizens?"

Master Seigfried explained that the town held a quarterly tri-guild tournament with different rules every quarter. That just ended a few days ago, so many mages still lingered in their guild halls before taking on any more jobs. He explained how the presence of guilds in this town had expanded the already affluent Brightholt City to unimaginable riches. Not to mention, the entertainment the guilds provided. As he talked, more and more members came up to her and welcomed her to the guild. She felt at Peace. This was her new home.

"Outside" he pointed to the back door" is the where the training grounds are located. "You'll be able to get plenty of speed training in out there."

Before he could continue, Adrienne pulled a sword hilt out of her backpack. "Where can I practice with Ares?" she said as a short blade materialized from the hilt.

Master Seigfried stopped in his tracks. His old age had brought him plenty of experience. He recognized the design on the weapon immediately. "Where did you get a blood pact artifact Adrienne?" He spoke evenly. His demeanor had shifted to an almost ominous state.

But in an equally happy mood, Adrienne replied "My father left it for when he passed away."

Master Seigfried breathed a sigh of relief. His happy mood slowly returned. "You should know that owners of weapons like that have usually murdered the previous owner. I'm glad that's not the case. Every guild in Brightholt has its own moral code. The Scarlet Phantoms treasure strength above all else. The Nova Eos are kind, considerate mages who aren't afraid to cause mayhem if they need to." He acknowledged Adrienne's confused expression. "They are a very paradoxical guild." He continued walking along side Adrienne as they approached the bar. "Knights always have something to protect and a code to honor. We, Eternal Knights have sworn by a code to never end a human life and to protect the lives of those around us til our last breaths. If you had obtained that weapon by its usual method of transference, I couldn't let you join us." He grabbed a few forms from the bar maid and the guild stamp and asked her for the first time "Would you like to join the Eternal Knights?"

Adrienne smiled happily. "Yes, master Seigfried. Could you make the stamp red?"

* * *

**Author Note:**

I don't own Fairy Tail, but the original ideas I have are mine.

Thanks for reading the story, it means a lot.

A special thanks to Raiyane for Beta reading this story.

Also I'm very open to criticism, so feel free to tell me when something wasn't described in detail or when an idea wasn't clear.

I need OCs, so if you're interested P.M. me. I'll have a form on my profile page.

The story WILL follow all three guilds and its members, so feel free to send OCs to any guild of your choosing. But as a personal request, try not to have more than two OCs. With that said, if the character is good, I'll gladly include all submissions.

I'd love for this story to be highly interactive, so I may have polls to help decide a certain course of events or things of that nature without giving away too much of the story.

No character is made perfect. I'm a firm believer in training scenes and scenes where a character grows in strength or obtains power that they have no means of controlling at first, so this will also happen from time to time.

I love Fairy Tail as much as all of you, but I will never "Nakama Power" away a bad guy. It's the most blatant Deus Ex Machina ever written and as much as I love Fairy Tail, please try not to include it in your OCs background.

I'm a huge fan of magical artifacts and tournaments so don't be surprised to see something about one of these two things from time to time.

I plan to explain Ares and every other magical artifact I introduce.

Thanks for reading again. See you next chapter.


	2. The Coliseum

**Author's Note:**

Hello everyone. Hope you're enjoying the story so far.

I'll be trying to incorporate certain ideas and elements that have fallen by the wayside in Fairy Tail.

An OC submission recently brought to light how vague I was about this.

Attack: (X/100)

Defense: (X/100)

Speed: (X/100)

Magic Reserves: (X/100)

So the first three have been pretty straight forward, but the last one has confused some people. "Magic Reserves" is meant to be an indicator of how much magical energy they have to expend on spells, summonings, take-overs, or any other type of magic. Having it on 0-100 scale might have made it vague and I apologize, but as I said it doesn't have a final say on fights and no your character won't keel over in the middle of a fight if I think they've reached their limit.

I'm sure you're tired of hearing from me, here we go.

* * *

**October 14, X791, 10:00 A.M, Eternal Knights Guild**

Adrienne awoke to the sun beaming in through her window. She hadn't considered where she would stay once she got to Brightholt so she was glad that Master Seigfried offered her a room in the guild hall. She sat up in bed and squinted as her eyes adjusted to the light. She was in the middle of a yawn when she realized someone was in the room. She recognized the girl before her instantly.

"Madeline!?" she yelled out in confusion while jumping from her bed to her backpack across the room to grab her sword.

"No, no, no!" The girl frantically called out to Adrienne. "I'm not Madeline. I'm Alice."

Adrienne stood on one side of the room with her sword drawn. Madeline hadn't done anything to warrant this reaction, but Master Siegfried's explanation of the Scarlet Phantom's indifference to killing people had put her on edge.

The young girl stood on one side of the room with a note in her hand addressed to Adrienne. Alice took the brief moment of calm to explain why she was in the room to begin with. "The master has given me the task of showing you around town. He wrote this note explaining everything." She spoke as evenly as possible. She dropped the note on the bed between the two of them and with her sword still raised; Adrienne picked it up and read it aloud.

"'Dear Adrienne,

I have some business to take care of. I've asked Alice to look out for you today and if you're willing, she'll show you around town. Try and get along today. Have fun.

Best,

Roy Seigfried',"

Adrienne finished the letter and looked back at the girl named Alice. She had been certain she was Madeline. They were both a little shorter than Adrienne and both had short red hair that they wore in a high ponytail. While Madeline wore glasses and a secretary outfit and this girl simply wore baggy blue pants and a black tank top, they had the same face. Both had blue eyes, a light complexion and rosy cheeks. "But why do you look like Madeline from Scarlet Phantom?"

Alice perked up immediately. She was glad the girl in front of her finally realized that she wasn't Madeline. "Madeline is my twin sister." she said in a matter of fact voice.

Adrienne sheathed Ares immediately. "I'm so sorry, I thought you were Madeline. I had no idea she had a twin!" Adrienne frantically apologized. She wanted to get along with her guild mates and here she was pointing a sword at one first thing in the morning.

Alice laughed at this new Adrienne. "A moment ago, you had a sword ready to fight me and now you look like you feel so bad you might cry. Don't worry about it; I know my sister's not the best person in the world. But, mind me asking what she did to you already?"

Adrienne thought long and hard again. Then she hung her head in shame. "Nothing really" she choked out. "The master was telling me about the different codes among the guilds and…"

Alice raised her hand as if that was a sufficient explanation. "I get it. My sister is a piece of work and she can be really cruel when she wants. And yeah, she lives by the Phantom code. So don't even worry about it. How about, we go and get some breakfast at my favorite restaurant in the square? My treat."

Adrienne's entire attitude changed. She shook her head like a child being asked if they wanted to go to the toy store.

"Great, you get dressed and I'll meet you outside" Alice added before leaving the room.

* * *

**October 14, X791, 11:00 A.M, Outside Eternal Knights Guild**

Alice and Adrienne left the guild and headed towards the town square. "They've got the best pancakes in the square" Alice said as they walked away from the guild. "Don't tell anyone I said this, but it's better than all of the Eternal Knight restaurants." She added in playfully. She was skipping alongside Adrienne until they stopped for a drink of water near the center of Eternal Knight Territory.

"What do you mean by 'Eternal Knight' Restaurants?" Adrienne asked. Alice looked confused. "You joined a Brightholt Guild, but don't know about the different territories.

"I knew there were three guilds in Brightholt City, but I had no idea about all the tension between the guilds."

Alice burst into laughter. She was struggling to get words out in between laughter and gasps of air. "This is the best it's been in years. In the beginning, mages from all guilds would get in brawls over the simplest things."

They continued walking to the square now. "Look around, this part of the City all supports the Eternal Knights. It's the same in the areas surrounding Nova Eos and the Scarlet Phantoms. See, the Brightholt citizens loved having guilds in the City, but we soon became more trouble than we were worth. The fights would often result in the city being damaged and the guilds all in shambles."

Adrienne looked around at the different buildings they passed. A lot of them had simple brick designs, while others had more elaborate wood work. Alice made a point to always point out an area of the town that had previously been destroyed. But, it was just as she said. All the buildings and street vendors either had a blue tint or they had the guild flag hanging somewhere in their building.

"The mayor didn't want to get rid of the guilds, so he and the guild masters came to an agreement," Alice continued. "The first meeting was held in Alliance Hall" she said, pointing to the build that hovered above the city. As they walked, Alice and Adrienne got closer to the square and Alice pointed to a large dome shaped building to their right. It was dressed in all of the guilds' colors and was massive in size. She continued her speech now. "They began holding competitions in the coliseum to let mages practice actual combat and so that they could release stress. The mayor got the citizens involved and soon the city became divided like this; where each guild's supporters opened several different types of businesses in order to support their favorite mages and guilds. We in turn provide services for the people. Most jobs are open to all three guilds, but some are guild specific. Just like some businesses charge next to nothing to their favorite guilds, but might charge a crazy price for a different guild."

They stopped once they had officially stepped foot in the square. In the craziness of recruitment the day before, Adrienne hadn't been able to take a look around the square. It was amazing. The entire square was made out of cobblestone. Buildings and walkways alike had no expense spared in their designs. The square was colored a light beige color. To her right there was the coliseum, to her left was a pathway that slowly became greener and greener in the distance and just across the square was a path that had an eloquent crimson gateway.

When Alice was sure that Adrienne understood what she meant, she concluded their trip and her explanation by walking towards her favorite restaurant, Magdalena's. She opened the door for Adrienne and said in her most matter of fact tone "The whole square is neutral ground. So all mages get a fair chance at all the goods sold here before we head out for a job or head to the coliseum.

* * *

**October 14, X791, 12:00 P.M, Magdalena's**

Adrienne followed Alice into the restaurant. The outside had a similar cobblestone design to other buildings, but the inside had dark purple décor. The counters by the bar were cobblestone and the bar stools had a purple cushion with a stainless steel structure.

"We'll sit by my usual seat Maggy." Alice called out to the lady behind the counter.

She had long curly purple hair that was a shade lighter than the building. Her face was thin, but rounded out into her chin. Her tan skin had small beauty marks here and there. She was young and vibrant; something that was accentuated by her happy personality. As they walked to the semi-circle corner booth, they heard "No problem Alice" come from the bar.

They scooted into the booth and a waiter came by a few moments later. He had his hair combed over and wore glasses. But his most distinguishable feature was his absurd height. He had to duck under door ways to go from room to room.

In a monstrously deep voice he said "Good day everyone. My name is Frank, I'll be your waiter today."

Alice answered quickly for the both of them. "We'll both have an order of pancakes." Then turning to Adrienne she said "Trust me, you won't be disappointed." Both girls turned to see Frank staring blankly towards them.

"And you?" Frank asked blandly.

Alice turned her face to Adrienne in an attempt to see if she knew what was going on. "Frank?" Alice started. "We both want…" but she was cut off by Frank's immediate departure.

Alice laughed it off. She wasn't sure what was wrong with Frank, but she was too excited about the pancakes to care. "Oh, these pancakes are perfect Adrienne." She said trying to pull focus back to the food.

Alice's comment snapped her out of confusion and brought her back to her jovial mood from before. Adrienne was happy that she had already met someone so nice. Back home she usually helped her sick father and didn't have time for friends, so when he passed away she was alone.

"I'm glad I met you, Alice" she said bringing herself back from her thoughts. "It's crazy how you and your sister are so different, but look so much alike"

Alice's expression went from ecstatic to depressed almost instantly. She knew how cruel her sister could be, but it hurt a little to hear someone else talk about her. And this was someone who she was sure hadn't see Madeline at her worst.

A quick glance at Alice's face told Adrienne she had gone too far. "I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. It's just." She stopped talking in an attempt to search her brain for an appropriate means of telling her new friend that her twin sister was just about the coldest person she had ever met, minus Master Narissa.

"It's fine," said Alice.

Adrienne didn't want to pry, but there was one thing she couldn't let go. It seemed like Alice loved her sister, so why wasn't she in the Scarlet Phantoms.

As if Alice could read minds, she asked "You wanna know why we're in separate guilds?" Embarrassed at having been such an open book, Adrienne attempted to dissuade Alice from sharing her story. But Alice stopped her and began the explanation.

"My sister and I love each other very much. But we have a different view on the world. We initially couldn't bear to be apart from each other. But we had a strange childhood and began to disagree on a lot of things. Brightholt City saved us from one another. I can only imagine how we would have stifled each other in our differences. As I'm sure you've seen, my sister can be very cold and condescending. The only person who seems to have her respect is Master Narissa. But our greatest difference is what made us choose between the Eternal Knights and the Scarlet Phantoms." Alice stopped now, took a breath and continued. "She's killed people and I could never do that."

Realizing the shock on Adrienne's face, she laughed and quickly added. "She doesn't go around murdering people, but dark mages, she has no problem killing them. I can't do that and so we tend to argue about that whenever we see one another."

Adrienne was sorry for her friend, but didn't know how to comfort her. "I couldn't do it either," was all she could get out.

Luckily, their food came out at the same time. The waiter carried out both plates of pancakes on an obnoxiously large platter used for much larger parties. He handed them their meal and told them not to hesitate to ask for anything.

They were laughing and joking again, when Alice caught sight of a tall masked man entering the restaurant. The mask had a red smile and red frowning eyes for its face. The owner of the mask clearly had neon blue hair that just barely escaped from behind the mask. Despite his height he had a leaner build which retained muscles forged by hours of rigorous training. Adrienne was in the midst of making a joke about him to Alice, when she turned to see Alice under the table.

"What are you doing down there Alice?" She asked.

"Hide, we really don't want to have to deal with him" said Alice.

When she realized that Adrienne hadn't responded or hidden, she peeked over from her side of the semi-circle booth and saw the man sitting between her and Adrienne. He had his arm around Adrienne's shoulder, with a small dagger pointed at her throat.

"We were having such a wonderful meal. Won't you come up from under the table Alice?" He asked, his voice was cool and laced with sarcasm.

"Alice, what's happening?" Adrienne said as a drop of blood dripped out onto the knife from where the knife was pressed to her neck.

"How long have you been here Rosca?!" Alice furiously demanded.

"Calm down Alice, you're making a scene. I'm not quite sure what you mean. Didn't we all come in to eat together?" He said as the mouth on his mask magically twisted to a sly grin.

In an instant, Alice understood what had been happening; Frank asking for them for their order twice and then serving them with the large platter despite there only being two of them.

"Then what about the 'you' over there…"Adrienne tried to ask before she was interrupted by Rosca snapping his fingers.

The illusion of him by the bar disappeared and a meal appeared on front of him. "So you've been here our whole meal," Alice stated bluntly.

"Well, you all took forever walking here so I got hungry and had a meal also."

Alice swung a fist at him in blind rage and connected with his mask.

This shattered another illusion and revealed another Rosca sitting at the bar stool nearest to them. Realizing the mishap in his words, Rosca shook his head and acknowledged that he had been following them since they left the Eternal Knights. "I wanted to see the new recruit that had the town buzzing yesterday. I had to see if she was worth all of the fuss." Eyeing her from behind his mask now he said "I can see that she was well worth the effort. I daresay Master Narissa made a mistake in not recruiting this one. You've got more than speed magic up your sleeve, I can feel it. It's quite exciting," he said as the mask on his face turned a huge grin once more.

He slid back into the booth without notice, this time next to pulling himself within an inch of Alice's face. "You know Alice, you shouldn't be so violent. A gentle girl with your looks could get hurt by some weirdo on the streets."

Jumping up from his seat he began posing and displaying his muscles. "You should have someone strong to protect you" he said between breaths while maintaining his poses."

Adrienne couldn't believe what she was seeing. A minute ago this psychopath had a knife to her neck and now he was joking with them like old friends. Her train of thought was broken when Alice started laughing. This weirdo must be a friend of some sort she thought, but she would have to be on guard.

"What? You don't have enough time alone with my sister?" teased Alice.

Rosca ceased posing. "Your sister has no sense of humor. She's too serious all of the time." As if it was the most obvious statement. He sat back down at the table again. "She is supposed to be at the coliseum today, adding another win to her record I supposes."

The idea of a battle finally brought Adrienne back to a state of calm. She realized that Rosca must be from Scarlet Phantom and if Alice could trust him, then she could also.

Adrienne loved combat, so in an attempt to make conversation she said. "Oh, is her record really good?"

Rosca's mask changed to a coy grin. "With Kuroki's death, she's risen to number 5 in the coliseum." He jumped back over to Adrienne's side of the table now. "But I'm the strongest."

At the mention of Kuroki's name, Alice returned to the conversation. "We don't know if Kuroki is dead."

Rosca continued to talk himself up to Adrienne while ignoring Alice.

When she realized that Rosca was ignoring her she decided to strike a nerve. "And you know Rosca, the Harbinger will return."

The mood in the restaurant shifted immediately. The entire restaurant could feel the murderous rage coming from Rosca. He looked over at Alice now. "When that monster returns, I'll win!" he yelled for the whole restaurant to hear.

Adrienne shifted closer to Alice now.

He stared down the pair of them and continued his rant. "I have the first match promised and I'll be gutting that loser when it's over." Slowly, he calmed down. He had let Alice get under his skin and he'd make sure to get her back for that later. He got up to leave now. "Anyhow Adrienne, you should stop by the Coliseum later and watch me in action. I'll be looking forward to your first match."

After he left, Adrienne had a million questions, so in a preemptive attempt to settle all confusion Alice said, "That was Rosca. He's got a tendency to be a tad bit eccentric."

Adrienne's eyes widened at the word eccentric. "You think?" She said sarcastically. "So what about this guy called Kuroki?" she added.

"Kuroki is a mage in our guild, that's been missing for the last few months. His sister is also a member of the guild. You probably won't see her later at the Coliseum. She's been training non-stop for the S-class trials."

After discussing the Coliseum a bit more, Alice could tell Adrienne was excited to see what it was like. Alice also wanted to see her sister. They lived so close, but were very rarely together.

As they exited the Restaurant, the entrance to the coliseum could be seen across the square. They began the short walk to the entrance of the Coliseum.

As Adrienne thought over their breakfast with Rosca, she shuddered at the memory of his outburst. "Why did Rosca get so angry earlier?"

Alice smiled at the question. As they walked side by side up the path to the Coliseum doors, she explained who the Harbinger was. "I'm sure you've been told that Scarlet Phantom is the most powerful guild in Brightholt. Our guild, the Eternal Knights is in second place currently and Nova Eos is in third."

Adrienne nodded vigorously.

"Well" Alice continued as they passed by a severely injured Nova Eos mage being carried out of the Coliseum. He was covered in cuts and bruises. "The rankings are determined by which guild holds the most ranked positions in the coliseum. Scarlet Phantom holds six out of the top ten spots. We Eternal Knights hold three out of the top ten. Nova Eos has one spot currently."

Adrienne nodded her head understandingly. "So that means that there are only 10 S class mages in all of Brightholt City?" she half asked.

"Nope, some S classes don't participate in the Coliseum. Like The Harbinger. He's the only SS mage in Brightholt City."

"SS mage?" Adrienne quickly interjected.

"Oh right, it's not traditional for something like an SS mage to exist, but all three guild masters felt that the power gap was so large, that they should make a clear distinction. That's why we Eternal Knights aren't first."

Shocked once more Adrienne said "Wait, The Harbinger is an Eternal Knight?! Who is he?"

Alice thought for a moment. "To be honest, I have no idea. I'd imagine only the guild masters know for sure, since he rarely even participates in anything. I don't even know if 'he' is a 'he'." She thought a bit longer and added. "Oh, Kuroki and Rosca would also know. Kuroki has been missing for a while, but he was supposedly on a mission with The Harbinger. That's why I'm sure he's okay."

"But why does Rosca know then?"

"Rosca has only ever lost one match in the coliseum and that was to The Harbinger. He humored Rosca once and decimated him in a match."

As they got closer to the Coliseum Alice resumed her explanation of its inner workings. "Some mages only participate if there is a tournament with an interesting prize. But a large portion of the mages participate. There are several different types of competitions in the coliseum that way many different types of mages and spectators are catered to. However, the city offers reward money to mages who participate in the Brightholt Weekly Grand Prix. Everyone can participate, but only the mages in the top twenty spots receive reward money or a prize. You don't have to participate every week, since it's ridiculously hard to hold your position or even advance. And if you fail to abide by any of the rules, you'll be dropped down in the ranks." Alice could tell Adrienne was really excited. "You really like to fight huh?"

"Yup, I don't think there's anything like it." Said Adrienne "So how do you advance?" she quickly added.

They had finally gotten to the door of the coliseum. "I'll explain the rest after we get inside." Alice said before quickly opening the door. She opened the doors and a loud roar of cheers swept past them and drowned out any other sound. The ground shook with the excitement of the match going on. Alice pulled Adrienne inside. "Come on, I'll try and get some good seats."

The inside of the coliseum was brightly lit. The crowd was seated as high up as the rafters and as close to the 30 yard boundary line as possible. Adrienne knew the coliseum was huge from the outside, but the size was even more daunting on the inside.

"Come on" she heard Alice say. "This is the main arena; mages are allowed to get VIP seats to watch their fellow guild members fight."

They made it to the VIP seats that were close to the railing overlooking the arena. Even in VIP seats they were about 30 feet up from the ground and were at the edge of the 30 yard boundary when Adrienne asked who was fighting to which Alice replied "My sister."

* * *

**October 14, X791, 1:00 P.M, Coliseum Locker Room**

_I can beat her. I can beat her. _Jackie kept telling herself. She was psyching herself up in preparation for her match.

"Jacqueline Arison. Jacqueline Arison, please report to the challenger's lift immediately."

It was time for her match. She shook off her nerves and took one more glance at herself in the mirror of the mage's locker room beneath the arena. She wore a dark red knee length dress with slits that went as high as her upper thigh. At the top of the slit was her guild mark. It was a silver tree with energy bursting behind it. The dress had long sleeves with small black ruffles along the arm. On her chest were four identical black buttons. She gave one last tug on the both black headband that kept her collarbone length black hair in check and the matching black belt before putting on her thigh high black boots. It was time. She walked down the long, brightly lit corridor to where she knew the challenger's lift would be. The walls were a greyish blue color and save for the occasional poster of the next major tournament, they were bare. She got on the lift and heard the roar of the crowd as it activated and she was lifted into the arena. She stepped off the lift, walked over to her side of the arena and awaited her opponent.

* * *

**October 14, X791, 1:15 P.M, Coliseum Main Arena**

The crowd dulled the possibility of hearing anyone. "Wow, they're this excited and there's supposed to be another match after this." Adrienne managed to say in between the roar of the crowd.

"Nope, this is the main event. The mage we passed on the way in was the challenger." yelled back Alice.

"Really, who was his opponent?"

"I'm pretty sure it was Rosca."

Adrienne's draw dropped at the thought of the man who had been all but torn apart. But her attention was grasped by the girl in the arena.

"Won't her dress get in the way?" Adrienne struggled to yell over the crowd.

Alice turned to her friend and tried to match her volume "Nope, with her magic it …" She was cut off by an explosion of cheers from the crowd.

The floor on the opposite side of the arena opened and the lift began to rise. There was Madeline. She wasn't wearing her usual secretary outfit, but what appeared to be a Black and Red body suit that had short sleeves and went down to her knees. Her hair style remained the same and her lack of glasses made her and Alice look even more alike. She stepped off of the lift and stood on the opposite side of the arena from where Jackie was.

A voice boomed over a loud speaker. "Ok ladies, let's have a clean match. The Match type for today is 'Three Times Fallen'. The winner is decided when their opponent has been knocked to the ground three times. Referee, you may begin whenever you're ready." An announcer said.

A small orb shaped lacrima flew down to the arena and hovered between Madeline and Jackie. As the orb spoke to them, Adrienne asked about the rules and the referee.

Alice thought for a moment and then answered "Well, the rules change from time to time to keep the crowd entertained, but mages can request a special rule set if they want. The Lacrima Referee, is an unbiased ref created to determine a winner. These fights can dangerous, so a referee that can't be injured became a necessity pretty quickly. Even the spectators are protected from the fight. There is an impenetrable force field just past the railing to prevent any harm from coming to the people."

As she finished her explanation, the Referee turned to Jackie and said "Challenger, Jacqueline Arison, are you ready?" To which Jackie nodded her head. "Number 5, Madeline Sable, are you ready?" Madeline shrugged and nonchalantly said "Let's start already." With that the referee shot into the air above them and announced for the arena to hear. "You May Begin!"

Madeline burst off at great speed and aimed a fist at Jackie's gut.

Jackie dodged, sending Madeline flying past her and crashing into the wall behind her. Jackie landed in a crouched position and unleashed her magic.

As the magic finished building within her, Jackie completed the spell by calling out "Demon Soul: Aim". Her forearms became black gauntlets with her hands reforming into giant black claws. The rest of her body slowly became encased in scales and her hair grew wildly down to her waist.

Jackie knew Madeline was fast from their previous fights, but it seemed like she had gotten even faster.

A disoriented Madeline emerged from the hole in the wall she had just created. Around both of her fists was pure red magical energy.

From up in the stands, Adrienne could see the magic that encircled Madeline's fists. "Is that her magic?" she asked Alice.

"Yup, she uses her own magical energy as a means to augment the strength of her attack. But that's not all it does."

Jackie knew that her demon form usually gave her an advantage in her speed and raw strength so she moved to exploit Madeline in her current state. She darted towards Madeline. She was going to gain the match advantage as fast as possible. Using her momentum to her advantage, she pulled her black fist back and forced a jab to Madeline's face. The punch connected, but Madeline had been feigning her meekness.

She blocked the monstrous punch one handed. A sly grin broke out over her face and then she loosened the grip on Jackie's fist and grabbed a hold of her scaly arm preventing her from retreating. She then began her one handed assault on Jackie.

A non-stop flurry of a magic imbued fist constantly connected with Jackie's head. Jackie was dazed and when Madeline was sure she could stand no longer. She let go of Jackie's arm, transferred her magic to her leg and struck Jackie in her stomach with a kick precise enough to knock the wind out of Jackie. The force of the kick propelled Jackie a few feet into the air. She landed a few feet away and was seemingly unconscious.

This forced the referee to come and inspect Jackie and see if she was willing to continue. "Challenger, Jackie Arison, are you fit to continue?"

She sat up and winced in pain. It felt like her insides had been compressed. "I can go on." She strained. She could hear Madeline taunting her.

"Oh, good. I thought you might have died from that little kick."

Jackie stood to her feet and in her fury released more magical energy. She sprouted wings that were as scaly as the rest of her body.

The referee yelled "Point to Madeline Sable. Resume!" before scurrying out of the way.

Jackie flew into the air and the scales on her gauntlets jutted out. Magic poured into her gauntlets and she began firing the sharpened scales at Madeline.

Madeline held both her hands in the air and kept her palms open. The magic around her hands merged and turned into a large red sphere that encircled her entire body. Just as the scales hit, she completed her shield.

The scales hit the shield at a high velocity creating sparks as they were deflected off of the shield and scattered around the arena. Some scales found their way up to where the fans sat and hit the protective wall in front of them.

Jackie's relentless barrage of scales slowly raised a small cloud of dust on the arena floor accidentally concealing Madeline's location.

When Jackie stopped her assault, a gigantic red hand burst forth from the dust cloud and lunged at Jackie. The giant arm was connected to the translucent sphere that Madeline was in. As she moved her right arm inside the sphere, the giant arm mimicked her movements. She began swiping at Jackie and vigorously trying to grab her.

Jackie retreated for a moment and then using the great speed that her demon soul gave her, she flew past the hand and straight towards Madeline. Her pursuit was halted as a gigantic left fist emerged from the sphere and shot straight towards Jackie. She retreated once more, but had forgotten about the right hand behind her. She backed into the right hand and was held in place as the left fist collided with her entire body.

Madeline retracted her arms and Jackie fell from the sky to the ground below.

She knew she had to get up. Come on Jackie get up. That was all she kept telling herself. Every bone in her body ached. I've got to get up. Nova Eos' rise will start with me. Her head was ringing, but she could hear the referee now.

"Challenger, Jackie Arison, are you fit to continue?"

He kept repeating it. "Yea, yea I can keep on going. Shut up already." She got up once more and turned to Madeline "I knew this wasn't going to be easy. But I'll be the one to put you in your place."

The crowd erupted in cheers with Adrienne cheering alongside them, while Alice remained seated and solemn.

"Point to Madeline Sable. Resume!"

Jackie could hear the voice in her head. It kept repeating the same phrase over and over again. _"Use my power. Use my power Jacqueline Arison."_

Jackie rose to her feet now and yelled to both the voice in her head and Madeline. "I'll beat her with my own power!"

The crowd erupted in cheers once more.

Jackie focused her magic into her palms. Then she pressed them together. As she pulled them apart a blade made of flames slowly formed. When she was finished, she grabbed the hilt and dashed towards Madeline again. As she got closer she yelled out "Let's finish this Madeline!"

Madeline quickly reformed her Red sphere. Just as it finished taking shape, Jackie shattered it with a few quick horizontal slashes.

Madeline back stepped several times and quickly drew her magic to her hands once again. Then she dashed forward to punch Jackie, but missed once more as Jackie flew up above her and landed just behind her.

Jackie quickly compressed her magic into the blade and swung at Madeline unleashing a wave of flames.

Madeline, ever confident in her magic, allowed the fire to collide with her. "You'll have to do better than this Jackie." She used her magic imbued fists to scatter the flames just as she had done with the scales.

Fighting Madeline countless times and always being on the defensive gave Jackie assurance that Madeline would try and disperse an attack she deemed beneath her. She used that instant to get behind her and deal another wave of fire.

This one hit her back and she caught fire immediately. She frantically tried to put out the flames with her magic. In that moment she took her eyes off Jackie.

Jackie burst forward and poured her remaining strength into her fist. She connected with Madeline's cheek and sent her skidding across the floor.

The crowd fell silent until she lay perfectly still. The next sound was "Number 5, Madeline Sable, are you fit to continue?" then arena erupted into a cheer.

Adrienne was cheering with the rest of the crowd when she looked over at Alice who had a worried look on her face.

The crowd nearly drowned out the referee's call to resume. "Point to Jacqueline Arison. Resume!"

"Don't worry Alice. Madeline seems ridiculously strong. The only thing that might be hurt is her pride. She'll be fine."

Alice looked up at her friend. "I'm not worried about Madeline. I'm worried for Jackie."

As she finished her sentence the center of the arena surged with magical energy. Madeline had gotten up and the very presence of her magical energy had become sinister.

The crowd fell silent once more.

She had a twisted look of glee on her face. She faced the referee and in emotionless even words said "I'm fit to continue." Magical energy continued to build up in her and the arena remained silent. Madeline finally broke her silence. "Janus!" she roared aloud in her anger. The magical energy that poured out from her slowly condensed in her hand.

When her magical energy finally settled, everyone in the arena could see a solid black double sided halberd that she held alongside her. On one end was a red traditional ax and pike design and on the other end was a spear head. The solid black pole had red embroidery that spiraled around it from end to end. She grasped the weapon with both hands now.

Jackie wasted no time in attempting to attack Madeline. She was going to put her down while she was still reeling from the earlier round. She flew into the air and then dove at Madeline swinging her sword in an overhead attack as they came into contact.

Madeline parried the attack with a quick rotation of the weapon she called Janus. The rotation of the parry brought Jackie to the ground for a moment.

Madeline's expression retained its current state of twisted pleasure throughout the entire exchange. She followed up the parry with an overhead attack of her own.

As the Halberd came crashing down on her, Jackie moved to block it by holding her flaming sword above her head. The pressure of the heavier weapon above her brought would have brought Jackie to her knees had it not been for her demonic strength. However, the sword itself slowly began to die out. Its flame became smaller and smaller until Jackie had to drop the sword and back-step out of the Halberd's trajectory.

Madeline's Halberd smashed into the ground and created a small crater in the ground where Jackie had been standing.

"What happened to my sword?" Jackie yelled out. She had fought Madeline countless times and had never seen her use this weapon. It was true this was the first time she had ever gotten a point against her or even used her own flame sword, but could she really have been hiding strength this massive the entire time. The moment she took to question herself and Madeline was too long.

Madeline turned the spear head of Janus towards Jackie and a large amount of magical energy condensed into a bead at the tip. Then she fired a blast of pure energy at Jackie. The beam hit Jackie square in the chest and she was blasted across the arena into the wall. Her body went limp as she lost consciousness and Madeline erupted into a vicious cynical laughter.

"What was that Jackie? You were gonna put me in my place!?" Her laughter grew slightly more deranged until in an instant she was calm "You'll always be beneath me Jackie." And she walked over to the lift.

"Match point, Number 5 Madeline Sable!" called the referee. The medics entered the arena and carried Jackie out on a stretcher.

The crowd erupted once more and as they died down they slowly began to file out of the coliseum.

Adrienne remained seated though.

"What's wrong Adrienne?" asked Alice.

"Alice" Adrienne said quietly, "That weapon is a blood pact artifact."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Special Thanks to Raiyanne for all of her help. If you don't know, she's an amazing writer.

A great deal of thanks goes to Barrett M107 for Rosca.

I hope you all enjoyed that fight because it wouldn't have been possible without Unicorn819's submission of Jackie.

I hope I portrayed your characters accurately. If not please feel free to message me about it. Also, if anyone has any questions about when their character might appear or about something that confused you in the story, feel free to ask me about it.

This chapter is about twice as long as the last chapter. How'd everyone feel about it?

How'd you all feel about the coliseum? It won't be a constant occurrence unless you all like it a lot. I have a lot of plans for it, but I promise it won't be the focal point of the Brightholt Chronicles.

When it comes to fights, I will randomly choose a winner and then write the fight to the best of my ability. Unless the pairing has a blatantly obvious winner or I need one person to win for the furthering of the plot.

Each week, I'll take a look at the OC submissions I received and randomly pick a few to fill out the S-class slots. But all characters will get their spotlight. Maybe even more so than some S-Class.

That is why I introduced the concept of an SS mage. As you can see, the mage's nickname is already referred to, but I actually haven't created the character. So I'll be choosing one mage at random. More on that later.

I'm a firm believer in staying close to canon, but I will be introducing a few things that are never seen or explained thoroughly enough in Fairy Tail. I hope that doesn't bother anyone.

I've got outlines for a few different sub plots. These are the titles.

A day in Nova Eos

Number 5, Madeline Sable

A Celestial Face-off

My plan is to explore all three in the next chapter, but I figured I'd keep my word and give you all a chance to have some say in the story. Either in a pm or in a review let me know which sub-plot should get the spotlight for the next chapter. I'll wait until Wednesday night before making a decision.

I'll have a list of potential arc names on my profile later.

All mages are equally important, but just so we're clear. Nova Eos will have the least amount of S-class mages, Phantom Scarlet will have the most and the Eternal Knights will have an intermediate number and the only SS mage. When I decide on the actual numbers and what positions are left to fill, I'll post it to my profile.

Thanks again for reading.


	3. A Day in Nova Eos

**October 17, X791, 11:00 A.M, North of Brightholt City**

The path before the two women was paved with large jagged rocks. With their small statures, they had to hop from rock to the other as a means of clearing the forest they were in. They were supposed to be preparing for their up-coming match in the coliseum, but Master Seigfried asked them to take this reconnaissance mission.

The taller of the two miniscule women looked over at her partner who was devouring a series of different candy from the bag she had been bribed with. As they jumped from rocked to rock she said, "Geez, if you're gonna be bribed so easily at least make it last Tally".

The one she called Tally pulled her head out of the goody bag to respond, but all of her words were jumbled by the mouth full of candy. She finished her latest piece of candy and said "I'm sorry Aoba. You know I can't help it when I see candy."

They cleared the last rock and landed on even ground. Aoba dusted herself off as soon as she landed. She was almost doll-like in size standing barely over 5 feet. That combined with her lovely pale skin often attracted the attention of many men. Aoba had a tendency to always dress her best. She could usually be found in kimonos of various colors all with a floral design of some sort. Today's kimono was dark red and what seemed to be a design of pink roses wrapped itself around the kimono. Years of training had given her the ability to traverse the terrain behind them with little to no effort even while wearing wooden sandals. It also could have simply been the allure of the unknown that attracted their attention of men. She wore a light veil that covered her face from the top of her face to the tip of her nose. Her green eyes were always hidden and her silky black hair was always pulled into a neat bun.

She finished cleaning herself and saw that Tally had already moved on without the slightest desire to dust herself off. "mhmm," she said bringing Tally's attention to her. Tally caught Aoba's silent meaning and sighed in disgust. "Is it really necessary?" she asked.

Aoba walked over to her friend and began dusting her off. "You know how I feel about it. I won't have you trouncing about covered in dirt."

Tally wore a pastel pink tube top that left her stomach exposed and seemed to only cover her cleavage. She stood a few inches lower than her friend and her childlike figure was accented by her dark, mocha colored skin. Her freckles dotted her shoulders and nose. Aoba was currently in the process of dusting off the detached pastel pink sleeves that started just above her elbows and covered her hands. The sleeves had golden trim on both ends, making them sparkle. Her shoulders were exposed. Though most womanly features seemed to elude her, her hips had a nice curve to them. They were covered by baggy, beige colored pants that fell just below her knees. They had golden trim on the ends that hugged her calves. Today was a special day, because for the first time in the last week Aoba had won their daily game of "Will Tally Wear Shoes?" So today Tally wore dark brown sandals that had a strap over the top of her feet and behind her heel. She had a golden chain anklet with a pink rose on it on her right ankle. Tally wore a golden choker necklace with a pink rose in the center of it around her neck. Her dark brown hair was tied up in two buns, most likely the result of another game between Tally and Aoba. Her hair had been tied up by sparkly golden ribbons.

Aoba finished dusting off her younger friend. "I'm almost certain Master Seigfried was prepared to bribe us. I mean, he just pulled the bag out of nowhere," said Tally.

Aoba looked at Tally and exclaimed, "Us!?"

"Fine, fine. Me," responded Tally.

She had barely finished speaking before several loud thuds could be heard all around them. When the dust cleared, they could see several over-sized Forest Vulcans. "Damn it, I just finished cleaning you off," said Aoba.

"It doesn't seem like they want to let us pass," said Tally half laughing.

"Urgh, I don't have time for this," said Aoba

The vulcans all converged on where Tally and Aoba stood, but with the small sizes they slipped out from between their legs.

"Couture de Affûtée" said Aoba calmly as her clothes became visibly sharper. She burst forward towards the Vulcans and began her assault.

She was fighting off two of them. Her small frame made her seemingly untouchable as she danced between them and around them lacing them with several sharpened punches.

The two other vulcans charged Tally now, but she also expertly dodged the sluggish punches coming from the over-sized combatant. She continued dodging until her back was against a wall of some sort. The vulcans saw this and both tried to connect a punch. She rolled through their legs again and their fists collided with nothing but stone.

With both of them dazed, she gathered her breath and unleashed her magic. "Violet Djinn Slayer's Hymn!" A blast of purple magical energy collided with both the vulcans and the wall behind them.

The wall crumbled and both Vulcans were sent flying into the opening Tally just made.

She turned to see Aoba in the air above the last Vulcan. Her sleeved fist collided with his head as she landed on it and the Vulcan fell defeated next to his partner.

"Whew, that was pretty fun," said Tally turning to inspect the hole, "I think I found the ruins that Master Seigfried was talking about."

She moved to enter the hole when she heard Aoba. "mhmm," she said.

"What? Again! Are you serious?" said Tally as she surrendered to her friends cleaning tendencies.

* * *

**October 17, X791, 12:00 P.M, Nova Eos Guild**

Jade slouched over the banister of the second floor in Nova Eos. His guild was in last place, still. They were the weakest and no matter what they did they couldn't find a way to break into the power struggle between the Eternal Knights and Scarlet Phantom. He was glad that Jackie had improved so much. She had managed to gain some ground on Madeline and the top ten in general. Jade respected her determination and her loyalty to the guild. As the second strongest member of Nova Eos he had faith in her, but fighting against someone as high as number 5 might have been asking for too much. There was just too much ground to cover between her and Madeline in such a short time.

Jade had hoped she wouldn't let her grudge with Madeline fuel her decision in an opponent. She could have just as easily fought against the coliseum's 10th ranked member. She certainly had a better chance against him, than she did against Madeline. He looked around his guild. The mages were either in their bedrooms or lounging about downstairs. Jade thought back to his excitement when he was approved as an official guild master.

He had run from store to store picking out green fabrics and paint to design the walls and bedrooms. Having been a drifter for most of his life, Jade knew the importance of a guild that can double as a home. "That's it!" He yelled for the entire guild to hear. With new found determination he raced down the oak wood steps and shut the door behind him as he bolted into his office next to the bar.

* * *

**October 17, X791, 12:30 P.M, Nova Eos Guild**

Guild members in Nova Eos slowly began to descend either of the two spiral staircases. For the last half an hour there had been a continuous hammering noise that resounded throughout the guild.

Jackie finally made her way down the steps. She had to slowly limp down the stairs. Most of her body had been bandaged following her fight with Madeline and though there were no serious injuries, she was still sore. She nudged her way to the front of the small crowd of mages and gave a questioning look her fellow mages.

"Does anyone know what Master Jade is doing?" she asked.

When no one answered, she slowly began to make her way to his door. Just as she got past the bar, his door burst open and Master Jade ran up to the bar. He jumped on the counter and hammered an erasable board into the wall above it. As he hammered, the mages in the guild could see that it held the current top ten coliseum rankings on it.

He turned to his guild now and said, "This board behind me is a reminder of where we are in the rankings and what's at stake. Holding the most spots in the top ten determines the winner of The Brightholt Grand Prix and we-" he paused to jump down, "have one spot on the board."

Jackie hung her head in shame. She had a chance to cut the deficit between them and the other two guilds and she had failed. She was sure everyone was disappointed in her and now she had no way to make it up to them. The rules of the Grand Prix said that each ranked member only had to accept an unranked challenge once during each Grand Prix and she was sure Madeline would never accept her challenge again.

Jade looked through the crowd and saw the depletion. "Don't lose hope, Nova Eos," his voice resounded through the guild. "We haven't seen the best of times, but just like our namesake, we will rise."

His speech had mixed reactions. Some members were energized by their master's new found hope and others decided that now was as good a time as any to play devil's advocate. Someone yelled out "How are we supposed to make a comeback now. Jackie was our best chance at gaining another spot."

The life was taken out of the crowd again. The owner of the voice stepped forward now and stood alongside Master Jade. It was Kayden Wary. He was dressed in his usual white sleeveless shirt with blue trim and black shorts. He wore matching sandals and had his dark green hair in a pony tail that went down to the middle of his back.

While he usually had the best intentions at heart, he often came off as rude and unapproachable. "Jackie is ranked 12th in the coliseum. She's the lowest ranked S-class in the whole city. And she's way stronger than any of us."

He stopped talking when Jackie began walking forward. She stood at the front of the bar now. She wasn't sure what she could say to them. While fighting back tears she choked out "I'm sorry guys. I let you down."

There was a pause and then someone from the crowd yelled out "Oh, shut up." Her head had been hung in shame, but at the sound of the voice she jumped up and began searching for its owner.

Another young man pushed his way to the front of the small group of mages and stood in front of her. The young man stood about a head taller than Jackie. He was slightly tanned and his dark spiky hair added a few more inches to his already considerable height. He had dark blue eyes that seemed to currently sympathize with Jackie's pain. He wore an open black jacket that had a light gray v neck shirt beneath it. There was a black belt holding up his loose black jeans with matching laced boots and a silver necklace around his neck.

"Don't be so hard on yourself kid," he said patting on her on the head.

Jackie was shocked. "Javier! When'd you get she back?!" she yelled as he pulled her into a hug off of the ground.

Her face was bright red now, forcing a few laughs from the rest of Nova Eos. Slightly embarrassed, she shook herself free and landed on the ground again.

"I got in last night, but you were knocked out from healing magic. Geez, I hope the other guy looks as bad as you" he chuckled, moving a wild strand of hair from her face and placing it behind her ear.

She hung her head in shame again. "Madeline's no worse than usual," She whimpered. "Hmm, well don't worry about it. Me and Shaw still have our chance at the top ten this cycle and it certainly wouldn't be the first time that a regular mage made it through."

Master Jade cut in now. "Where is Shaw? If he's here, too, then we can start planning out a strategy. "Oh, he's right over here," he said pointing to an empty spot in the crowd. He looked around for his partner in crime and after a few moments spotted him at a table across the guild devouring his own buffet of food.

"Shaw! Get your ass over here," Master Jade yelled across the guild hall.

The teenager jumped at the sound of his name and began running across the guild towards Javier. His hair was just as dark and messy as his Javier's, but his blue eyes were a few shades lighter. He was much shorter and had a leaner build. His green hoodie hid what looked like a black tank top and it sported the Nova Eos guild mark; a tree bursting with light. He wore tan knee length shorts and black and green sneakers to match his hoodie.

He made it across the guild quickly and Javier said, "What's so important that you can't wait a few minutes?"

We haven't eaten in days because of you," Shaw quickly retorted.

Before either of them could get another word in, their stomach roared in unison. Master Jade shook his head in defeat. "My office, as soon as you're done eating," he added before walking away.

Javier turned to Kayden now. "You really shouldn't interrupt him like that. We're all working hard because we want to be the best."

Kayden opened his mouth to speak and Shaw cut in now. "Aren't you tired of being in last?"

Kayden scoffed and shook his head. Knowing he couldn't argue against the two of them he stormed off towards his table. A few mages followed behind him shortly after.

"Me and a few of the guys are gonna go get something to eat, you coming?" Shaw asked turning his attention back to his friend.

Javier took a quick glance at Jackie's wounds and said "Nope, I think I'll stay here for a bit."

Shaw exited the guild and a few guys followed behind him.

"So how about we grab a seat before you keel over," Javier said pulling Jackie along. They took a seat on opposite sides of their usual table next to the bar and tried to catch up. Javier and Jackie hadn't been this close to begin with. Jackie had originally avoided him whenever she could. She found his never-ending desire to approach any and every woman insufferable. So she had made it a point to make any interaction that she had with him as dreadful as possible. When he failed to impress a woman, she'd be there to chime in at his defeat.

But eventually she warmed up to him. They found a common ground that neither of them had even thought possible. They were friends. They were maybe even something more than that. She was never really certain where they stood. One moment they'd be having a good time and the next he was off looking for Gyro. She decided to address his return immediately. "Any luck with Gyro?" she asked.

Javier let out a sigh and then shrugged back a negative response.

She decided to say what was on her mind when he usually left without a moment's notice. "You know you don't have to follow every rumor about a dragon."

He looked her over once more. Her head was facing the table, but he was sure she was watching him. "Let's talk about something else. I heard you got a point against Madeline," he said.

She perked up now. She wanted to discuss his frequent departures, but she loved talking about the coliseum. "Yup, I told you I've gotten stronger. I had on her on the ropes and everything. But then…" She paused and her excitement died down a little. "She used a weapon I've never seen before. She was so powerful."

Javier enjoyed the coliseum, but he was often more focused on missions and finding his father, Gyro. Sometime after Shaw joined the guild, they both became pretty close and began traveling together. They really only participated in the Grand Prix out of loyalty to Master Jade.

Jackie decided to switch the conversation to the one thing that brought them closer. "Are you still hearing the voice," she whispered.

He thought about it for a moment. "Yea, it's been getting worse and worse. Most times it's unbearable. But sometimes, it's helpful."

"What!?" she yelled.

He looked up at her now. She had a look of disbelief on her face. "It's true!" He answered defensively. "The other day, me and Shaw were attacked by Vulcans and when one was going to hit Shaw from behind, the voice told me to protect him and I stopped the attack."

She couldn't believe it; here she was being tormented by the voice in her head and the one person whom she was sure would always understand her pain was defending his own.

Javier wasn't sure why she looked so hurt all of a sudden. He thought she might have been happy for him. The voice he was hearing seemed somewhat benevolent nowadays. "Are you still hea…" was all he managed to ask before she screamed out "Of course I am!" With tears in her eyes now, she turned and ran off to the S-class floor.

* * *

**October 17, X791, 1:00 P.M, Magdalena's**

"Alright boys, what'll it be?" Magdalena asked as she set Shaw's favorite window table. Shaw looked around at the rest of his group. "We'll all have pancakes!" said Shaw excitedly.

He sat on one side of the table and gleamed at the two friends across from him. Kai Saroyan and Junjo Rosario were both older than Shaw, who was barely 16, but whenever he wasn't training or traveling with Javier, he was hanging out with them.

Kai had straight teal colored hair that was about shoulder length. He had a tan complexion and was usually dressed ready for a fight. He wore a black tank top and a pair of black shoes. His loose fitted pants were also black.

Junjo was also prone to getting into a fight. So he usually wore some gaudy sweater that would be discarded later. He had on blue pants and sandals and today his sweater was simply an odd shade of neon green.

"Did you and Javier find anything on Gyro?" asked Kai.

Shaw shook his head. He and Javier had left to complete a mission and on the way they heard a rumor about a dragon being spotted. They sent word back to the guild about it and had been traveling for weeks since then.

"Forget about that. You meet any women along the way?" Junjo chimed in as serious as possible. "I want details. Descriptions." He lay back in his seat now and closed his eyes. "Paint me a picture, Shaw." He added playfully.

"Here's the food you ordered," said Magdalena.

"Oh, Maggy, seeing you is more than enough food for my soul," said Junjo jumping to his feet and assisting her with the trays.

She shook her head at his antics. She then handed him the trays and turned to leave. "I'm still not going out with you Jo," she said, while walking away.

Shaw and Kai expected him to take his usual crestfallen stance after having been shot down, but he jumped on top of the table. "Yes! This is progress, men," He said after jumping down and dancing around them.

"What are you talking about?" asked Kai.

"Didn't you hear her? She didn't call me Mister Rosario this time."

The whole restaurant burst into laughter at the man's denial.

* * *

**October 17, X791, 1:00 P.M, Nova Eos**

The mages at Kayden's table had watched as Jackie ran up the stairs and out of sight. Then an awkward silence had taken over.

The girl at the table was the first to break it. "Do you think I should go cheer her up?" she inquired.

Her name was Melody Stanz. She was wearing one of her many colorful dresses that musical notes on the side. Today's dress was sky blue. They all seemed to compliment her fair skin, so it never really mattered. Her hair was in loose blond curls that ended at her shoulders and she wore a pair of light green earrings to match her eyes.

Kayden looked up from his reading to formulate a response. His eyes glanced over the violin she usually carried with her. "I don't think she would want some sort of fake emotion," he said condescendingly. "Don't you agree, Kenneth?"

The boy next to him shot Kayden a glare and quickly went to console Melody.

As he stood, one could tell that he was actually quite tall. He wore a green shirt. He had a brown jacket and black pants that were both riddled with tears and holes. His fingerless gloves matched his shirt. But his most astounding feature had to be either his long blond hair that went down to his waist or the chain of whistles that hung around his neck.

Melody was always sensitive about her magic and constantly felt useless in the guild. "He didn't mean it Melody," said Kenneth placing an arm around her shoulder. "He's just upset that he isn't ranked in the coliseum," he quickly added.

Kayden's face was bright red in anger now. "You're not ranked, either!" He shot back.

Kenneth broke out in a laugh. "That's because I've never participated in the coliseum. Some of us just enjoy doing missions. There's nothing wrong with that."

He could tell Kayden was about to blow, so he decided to playfully throw one more punch. "And plus, if I did. I'd already be ranked ahead of you."

That was all it took for Kayden to burst. "Alright then, fight me right now!" he yelled.

Just as he finished, Shaw, Kai and Junjo returned to the guild.

"You looking for a fight Kayden?" asked Kai making his way over to the table. They passed a still down trodden Javier on their way in, and Shaw and Junjo took a seat with him to watch the spectacle about to unfold.

"What? Are you gonna fight me, Kai?" Kayden asked backing up slightly.

"Damn straight," Kai quickly responded and pulled a white key from his pocket.

"Gate of the Pure Archer: Open!" yelled Kai and an archer with short blond hair appeared. There was no way to tell if the archer was male or female. They were dressed in white robes and their face was covered up to their eyes.

Kayden pulled out a sparkling red key and yelled "Gate of the Crimson Harpy: Open!".

A red winged creature materialized above Kayden. "You called for me, Master Kayden?" it asked.

"Yup, we're gonna put Kai in his place today, Helia."

"As you wish, Master," said Helia and she spread her wings and began firing flaming feathers at Kai. The feathers were intercepted by arrows of light causing them to explode in the air.

A near endless confrontation ensued. Flaming feathers were fired and intercepted by light arrows causing them to explode in the air. The rest of the guild watched on in awe, knowing what was coming next.

"You know why you're always losing, Kayden. You're not strong enough to help your spirits," said Kai. And with that he began condensing white lightning in his hands. "Lightning Make: Crow's murder."

He released the lightning to the ceiling and once it finished ascending it began to drop. On its descent, the lightning formed into several electric crows. They collided with Kayden and Helia.

They lay paralyzed now, shaking from the electricity coursing through their bodies.

Master Jade came out to see the commotion. Looking over the scene, he said, "Well at least we won't have to repair the guild this time. That's enough Kai,"

He turned to Shaw and Javier. "Let's get down to business," said Master Jade. With that Junjo, Shaw and Javier all followed Jade into his office.

"Okay, as you know, each of you has one chance during this cycle to challenge a member of the top ten. We should go about this as logically as possible. The three of you should fight the three lowest ranked members. I think that Junjo should challenge Number 10, Shaw should challenge number 9 and Javier should challenge number 8," said Jade.

All but Javier agreed to this plan. "Nope," said Javier "I'll challenge Number 7, Marco Seifer." They all looked at him confused so he added, "We've got a sort of friendly rivalry going and he passed me by a mile during the last S-Class Trials so it's time I repay the favor."

"Isn't he an Eternal Knight?" asked Junjo.

"Yup, he is. But all that matters is proving that Nova Eos is better than everyone else," responded Javier.

Master Jade was delighted to see the fire that remained in his mages. "That works fine. Then I'll have Rau fight number 8 when he gets back from his mission," said Jade. He wrote down the match ups and passed it around for all of them to sign.

Challenger, Number 19, Junjo Rosario vs. Number 10

Challenger, Number 17, Shaw Riley vs. Number 9

Challenger, Number 15, Rau Volikia vs. Number 8

Challenger, Number 14, Javier Montero vs. Number 7

"What mission is he on?" asked Shaw as he signed the paper.

"He is supposed to be doing reconnaissance for the city about a disturbance to the ruins far north of the city," answered Jade.

A voice shook the guild's walls. "Jacqueline Arison!" it boomed.

Master Jade and the mages in his office exited to the main hall to find that a small lacrima message was playing. It kept repeating her name until Jackie limped her way towards it and said, "I'm Jacqueline Arison."

The small floating lacrima came to her eye level now and said, "You are to report to the coliseum for your Juggernaut match as penalty for losing your match against Madeline Sable."

Jackie looked around at the rest of the guild. It had only been 2 days. Everyone thought she'd have more time.

* * *

**October 17, X791, 1:00 P.M, Eternal Knights**

"Urgh, I don't know why this is so hard for you to understand," Alice said looking across the table at Adrienne.

"It's just. There are so many rules. Why can't we just fight?" she asked with a hint of confusion lingering in her voice.

"Fine, but this is the last time I'm explaining the coliseum," said a frustrated Alice.

"All three guilds compete in the coliseum to determine who is the strongest. The winner is determined by how many spots in the top ten are held. The mages in the top ten are ridiculously strong. So only the mages who have obtained a position between eleven and twenty can challenge them. Every Grand Prix all of the numbers, eleven and above, reset."

"Wait, so there are more numbers than 20?" asked Adrienne.

"Exactly!" said Alice. "Every mage in Brightholt who signs up in the coliseum receives a number. Your rank can increase as high as number eleven depending on how many wins and losses you have in the coliseum. But once you have passed number 20, you're allowed to challenge any ranked member as a representative of your guild."

"Ahh, it's starting to make some sense now. So ranked members must get to fight all of the time then?" Adrienne added.

"Well, that's the catch. Each member of the top ten only has to accept one challenge during each Grand Prix. So there can be as few as only ten ranked matches in one Grand Prix cycle. That's why it's important to win as many matches as possible in the beginning of the Grand Prix. This way you have a better chance of winning a spot in the top ten."

"I get it now, but what happens if a ranked mage doesn't accept the challenge?" asked Adrienne.

No sooner than she had asked the question did the doors to the Eternal Knights blow open. A beautiful woman walked in. She had straight black hair that went down to the middle of her back. She kept her wardrobe simple; a black sleeveless shirt with red accents along the hem and a red skirt. She had on red sneakers as well. Adrienne would have been sure that she was a member of the Scarlet Phantoms had it not been for the pink image of a knight on her right shoulder.

She walked into the guild with an air of vanity. Behind her was a large chest that seemed to be walking on its own. She walked towards Master Seigfried who had been childishly making a sundae at the bar and said, "Here's the reward for the mission."

The chest settled to the floor and the magic supporting it dispelled. As it the magic dissipated, the chest swung open for Master Seigfried. His jaw dropped to the floor and his eyes went white in shock. The chest was full to the brim with jewels and gold all sorts. "I'll have a spirit collect my share. Thank you for the mission, Master Seigfreid."

Alice had been watching for a while and decided to have some fun at the girl's expense now. "Lucia," Alice called across the guild, "come meet the new member of the guild."

Adrienne could see the look of frustration break out across the girl's face. "Alice what are you doing?" asked Adrienne. "She doesn't seem to be in the best of moods."

"Trust me. This is gonna be funny," said Alice. Lucia made her way over to the pair of girls and extended her hand to Adrienne, who quickly took it in an attempt to stay on this woman's good side.

"Hey Lucia, this is Adrienne. I've been explaining the rules of the coliseum to her."

Lucia's expression changed instantly from one of disgust to pride. "Oh, well have you told her who number one is?" she asked, the conceitedness laced in her tone.

"Yup, I sure did. We met Rosca the other day."

The woman before them exploded with anger. "Don't test me Alice, tell me again who is the strongest."

Alice remained unfazed. "As of a few days ago, Rosca is the strongest mage in the city." Alice said coolly.

Her anger quickly subsided and she began running around the guild tearing through every draw looking for a calendar. "How can this be? I should still have more time to accept the challenge. It's only the thirte…" She stopped, having finally found a calendar which revealed she was four days off. She burst in anger once more and yelled as she marched up the stairs towards her room. "This is exactly why I didn't want to take that S-class mission."

Alice turned her attention back towards a highly confused Adrienne. "That was Lucia Corazon, currently ranked 2nd best in Brightholt. She and Rosca fight from time to time over number one, but the match is usually so intense that neither of those battle lovers can stomach repeating it too often. You see, when a ranked mage fails to accept a challenge, they are simply forced back one spot in the ranking. While she was gone she was challenged and didn't get to accept," Alice said with some finality in her voice.

"But none of that explains why your sister has a blood pact artifact," said Arienne.

"Ahh, right," sighed Alice. "To be honest, I didn't know it was a blood pact artifact. Every now and then a tournament is held with specific entering restrictions. The prize is either some money or an invitation for a special quest or some strange item. A few months ago, my sister won one of these tournaments and received a sphere of some sort."

"That's the artifact's contract form," said Adrienne as she felt for her own artifact." It's the form it takes before someone binds their magic and their blood to it. But isn't it strange that the town just offered up an artifact like that."

"Nope," said Alice "The mayor's son is a treasure hunter. He and a few companions spend most of their time searching the world for rare artifacts. Sometimes, he comes back here and sells it to the mayor. The mayor is happy to do it, because something as powerful as that shakes up the rankings and keeps citizen's interest in the coliseum," explained Alice.

She thought for a moment and then continued "Whenever he returns the bell in Alliance Hall rings to signal their return. You'll probably meet him eventually. He and a few other people have gained that level of recognition. The Harbinger's also one of them. It's kind of funny. They have nothing to do with one another, but the people have taken to calling them 'The Bell Kin'."

Just as she finished her speech a lacrima announcement sounded throughout the city. "Jacqueline Arison will be facing her juggernaut penalty today," the voice revealed. Alice's face held an extreme amount of shock in it. She got up and pulled Adrienne to her feet and out of the door. "Let's go. You're not gonna wanna miss this."

* * *

**October 17, X791, 1:30 P.M, The Coliseum – Arena C**

Adrienne and Alice stood in the top row of the Arena C's rafters. It seemed as if, the entire town had tried to make it into the coliseum. The arena seemed similar to the Main Arena, with two few exceptions. There were no elevators in the floor. Combatants would normally enter through one of the four gigantic gates in the cardinal points of the arena and this arena was suited for far more variations in combat. Currently Jackie, Master Jade, Madeline, and Master Narissa stood in the center of the arena.

"What's this about Narissa? We usually wait a week before issuing a juggernaut challenge," snapped Jade.

"True, but it's recently come to my attention that as long as three days of rest have passed a juggernaut challenge can be issued," retorted Narissa.

Jade was at a loss. There was no way that Jackie could withstand a juggernaut challenge in her condition. "Narissa have some compassion. There's no reason to do this," said Jade in an attempt to reason with Narissa.

"You're weak Jade and little by little I'm gonna weed out this city's weakness," she said coldly.

Back in the stands, all of Nova Eos sat in horror of the events to come. Behind them were some members of Scarlet Phantom and some of the Eternal Knights. "Why does Jackie have to fight again? She can barely stand," whispered Adrienne.

"When an unranked member loses a ranked match, they face a penalty. They can skip it and be dropped to the bottom of the ranking or they can face a juggernaut penalty. If they win, they can keep their rank. If they lose, then they get dropped to the bottom anyway," said Alice.

As she finished her statement, three roulette wheels materialized in the middle of the arena. Master Jade didn't know what to do. He knew there was no way that Jackie would give up her spot, but to let her fight now would be even more fool hardy. He'd have to forfeit it for her. "Wait. Don't do it!" a voice called out from the stands.

It was Kayden. He jumped down from the stands and ran over to the mages. He pulled out a pocket sized rule book and explained another rule. "If the mage receiving the juggernaut penalty cannot participate due to injury, then a fellow guild member can act as a stand-in,"

New life returned to Master Jade and then was simultaneously crushed by Narissa. "Yes, but there are no S-class mages to stand-in for her, little boy. The one you call Hazel Rochelle is away on a mission," she said.

Kayden didn't back down from the fierce woman before him. "Nope, but the rules say that in the event that there is no S-class stand-in available, the guild master can authorize two regular mages to simultaneously act as stand-ins," he said.

She grabbed the book from his hand ferociously and after finding the rule she ignited the book in her hand. She stormed off from the arena in a fury with Madeline close behind her. After the rule was repeated aloud for the arena, Javier and Shaw jumped down from the stands.

"Nice job, Kayden" said Shaw patting him on the back. "We'll take it from here," said both Shaw and Javier as they arrived in front of the Roulette wheels.

A look of pride burst over Master Jade's face and before Jackie could protest anyone taking her place. He lifted her up and jumped to the stands. He took his seat and was followed by Kayden.

Each roulette wheel began spinning. The results on each wheel signified the juggernaut challenge that the mage would have to undergo. The first wheel came to a stop. It read the game type. "Survival." The second one came to a halt and signified the type of opponents. "Humanoid." As the third one slowed down. Shaw and Javier prepared for battle. Shaw removed his hoodie now as he did in most fights. You could see the physique that countless hours of training had brought him and his right arm was bandaged up to his shoulder. Javier's body began to release small amounts of magic as he prepared for the final wheel to stop spinning. The third wheel stopped. It signified the element or elements of the opponents. "Fire."

All three wheels disintegrated and all throughout the arena small embers appeared. They surrounded Javier and Shaw. Slowly each ember formed into that of fiery humanoid being. Shaw broke out in laughter. "They've got to be kidding. Fire, really," he said as Javier cracked a huge grin and took a huge breath. He finished building up his energy and unleashed.

"Ice Dragon's roar!" The roar tore through countless embers. They froze and shattered to dust.

A magic circle formed under Shaw and he activated his magic. "First Gear" he said calmly as his body started to give off a white vapor. His eyes turned a white blue color and burst off in a sprint beginning his assault on the embers.

From the stands it seemed as if embers were being defeated simply by him running past them. His magic gave him the ability to move at unimaginable speeds and possess inhuman strength for a short duration of time. The shorter the duration, the faster and stronger he was. As he ran by the embers he'd increase the potency of his spell and at a speed too fast for a normal eye to see, he'd unleash a flurry of punches and destroy an ember.

Javier was holding his own against several embers at once. He had been surrounded again so he jumped into the air and as he landed he hit the ground using his "Ice Dragon's Crushing Fang" technique.

The spell hit the ground and with him as the epicenter, several waves of ice cascaded out of the ground piercing the embers as the ice formed.

Shaw was making quick work of the embers around him. As he closed in on one, he'd rev up his speed with "First Gear" and unleash countless punches.

They held their own for several waves of embers until the waves stopped coming.

"You think it's over?" asked Shaw who was puffing and catching his breath.

"Not just yet," replied Javier.

Several embers appeared before them and slowly merged into one giant ember humanoid. It unleashed a breath of fire at Javier and Shaw. Javier quickly released his own breath and matched the creature's.

As he had it preoccupied, Shaw activated "First Gear" and unleashed a quick flurry of punches at the beings head.

Unfazed by his miniature attacks, the giant swiped at Shaw with his large flaming hand and sent him flying into the ground.

Both breath attacks canceled each other out and seemed to daze the giant so Javier took this chance to attack the giant.

He yelled out "Ice Dragon's Sacred Horns," as he coated his arms in ice and sliced an X shape through the behemoth's body.

As he stumbled back, slowly freezing from his torso out, Shaw charged the both of his knees. He faced the left one and poured a great deal of magic into his right arm. He yelled out "Shotgun" and connected a punch with the giant's knee creating a gaping hole in the knee. In a flash, he had duplicated this attack on the second knee.

The creature fell onto his back, slowly freezing. After a moment, it froze over completely and shattered.

The entire Nova Eos section burst into an uproar. The citizens followed along and began cheering for them and Adrienne and Alice couldn't help but cheer.

The cheering was brought to an abrupt end as the bell in Alliance Hall rang signaling a "Bell Kin's" Return.

* * *

**Author Note:**

_**Special Thanks:**_

Special thanks to Raiyane for all of her help.

Special thanks to all of the Nova Eos members.

Special thanks to series of dark guild submissions I've received. I haven't even started working on it, but your interest, gives me a lot of hope for the story.

**How's it going?**

I want you all to be completely honest with me about anything that comes to mind. If you have an idea or a critique or I'm messing up your character, please let me know and we'll work on it.

I'm curious. How do you all feel about Blood Pact Artifacts?

To everyone who is using your phone to read, review or PM. I feel your pain. I had to use my phone the other day and the mobile version of this website is ridiculously frustrating.

I'm terribly sorry for anyone who PMed me and didn't get a response back. I'm looking through my e-mail for those messages now. I wasn't aware that I had overlooked any.

So, are you all enjoying this story? A lot of you have been great to me and the story and I can't thank you enough.

**S-class openings update:**

Scarlet Phantoms – 2 Spots

Nova Eos – Closed

Eternal Knights – 3 spots (2 who actively participate in the coliseum and 1 who doesn't) I also wouldn't mind if they were guys. 95% of Eternal Knights are currently female. Just saying.

I'd prefer to get submissions from people who never submitted before. But don't be afraid to send me an OC if you come up with one.

Sorry if I kept you all waiting for long. I wanted to give Nova Eos its spotlight and there were a lot of you. Tried my best with it, hope I didn't disappoint. If you ever find yourself curious about when a chapter is going to be released, the tentative date will be on my profile.

Someone pointed out to me that I may have set a big order with 3 guilds. Since they all have to be adequately populated. They wondered if I would scrap the story, if I failed to get enough members. The answer is No. I will keep on writing, because it's a lot of fun.

Yes, I actually have a wheel that I spin for Juggernaut Matches.

**Special Submission**

So I thought I might inform you all of a race of slayers that has been created by one of your fellow readers. As mentioned in the chapter, they are Djinn slayers. Now I know the idea of a slayer is very alluring, but if people are seriously interested in creating a character who is a djinn slayer, PM me. The submission guide for this will follow the same form, but you will have to discuss it with me. A few rules:

If you've already submitted a character, then I'd prefer that, at least at first, you not submit a Djinn slayer.

You'll PM me your interest. I'll explain how the race works. Then I'll let you pick from the djinn slayers that I have been given and you'll message me back your form.

Now I refuse to sully the race by having 100 djinn slayers appear out of nowhere. So at least for right now, I will only accept one djinn slayer.

From time to time throughout the story I will introduce a new brand of magic that will be open to variations, such as elements with the slayers or colors with the djinns. It'll appear in the Author Note as a "**Special Submission"**. When that happens I will open these submissions as I see fit for these magic types, accept a few and then close it again. However, general submissions will probably be open for a very long time.

I'm sorry if that comes off as rude. I won't pretend to be the most talented reviewer or enlightened writer, but to give everyone a fair chance at submitting an OC while maintaining the integrity of what appears to be "unique" magic I think it should work this way. I'm sorry if that upsets you all. If you all don't think it should work this way, let me know and I'll think of another means of achieving this goal.

_**Chapter Release Event**_

I want to try something out. From time to time, I'll hold one of these events and the winner(s) may get an in-story prize for their character. I'm only trying it out. So if it doesn't go well. It's gone. If people like it, I'll keep it around. I'll always try and be fair about it.

What is the name of the Nova Eos member who is a part of the top ten?

_**Release Events Rules**_

The 24 hours immediately after a release will be broken into three 8 hour parts.

The first person to be correct within any of these windows receives a prize.

Then I'll PM the winners


	4. The Bell Kin

**Author Note:**

I want to say thank you to everyone who was patient with me writing this chapter. The series of misfortune that I had while completing this was hilariously annoying. Several blue screens. Missing documents. Emergency room visits. I digress. I will be coming back to this chapter and editing here and there. Just something to take note of. Not really important.

I tried to smooth over the two week time gap with a long well thought out chapter. Hope I got that done. Keep in mind that this chapter begins immediately after the ending of the last chapter.

Anyhow, have fun reading.

* * *

**October 17, X791, 2:00 P.M, The Coliseum – Arena C**

Dong! The whole coliseum went quiet as the bell tolled and then racing out of the coliseum.

"Is that what you were talking about?" yelled Adrienne over the roar of the stampeding crowd. Everyone was running out of the arena; heading towards the entrances for a chance to greet whoever had returned.

Alice snapped back to reality. She had been lost in thought over who it could be. She shook off the rest of her confusion. "Um. Yeah. I wonder whose back."

Both girls stood to their feet and followed behind the crowd from a careful distance. It was clear that the excitement had gotten the better of it and everyone seemed to be well out of control.

They had been walking for a few minutes when they passed through the town square and into Eternal Knight Territory.

Alice's mood immediately intensified. "ohh!" she squealed. "If the crowd's headed by our guild then it might be The Harbinger." She jumped up onto a nearby roof. "Come on Adrienne, we'll get their faster like this."

The idea of meeting the supposed strongest Brightholt mage got the better of her and before she knew it, they were running along the roofs of the blue tinted territory past the crowds.

Up ahead Alice could see Master Seigfreid floating at the head of the crowd. They landed at the front of the crowd and found Lucia standing alongside Master Seigfried; in front of them stood two men.

On the left was an extremely tall fair skinned man with short brown hair and matching set of brown eyes. He had an intimidating muscular build, but his most peculiar features were the scar running horizontally across the bridge of his nose and the diagonal scar on his forehead. He wore a red dress shirt and black neck tie with a pair of casual black shorts and black boots. On top of that he wore a long white overcoat which partially hid the man's physique.

The man on the right had shaggy black hair that went down to his shoulders. He was clearly the older of the two and his scraggly beard made it clear that he was also one to not care about appearances. He wore a shawl that had small tears in it. Beneath the shawl he wore a black skin tight sweater that hugged his lean figure and black cargo shorts. To add to his messy appearance he also sported brown sandals that seemed to be falling apart. However, his most frightening feature was his incredible size. The man on the left already stood about a foot higher than Lucia who was an average height, but the man on the right was a clear head above his companion.

Adrienne and Alice inched closer to hear what their master, Lucia and the two men were discussing in the midst of the crowd.

"Nice of you to come back Vado," said Lucia with a hint of disinterest in her voice.

The man seemed to barely acknowledge Lucia. "Oh, is that you Lucia? I should have known by the smell of wasted talent."

The crowd went silent as Lucia's rage slowly crept out. As she prepared her anger filled rebuttal she caught a glance from Master Seigfried. It was one thing to fight with Vado, but to fight in front of Master Seigfried would only spell trouble. He always wanted his mages to get along. She swallowed her pride and retorted as calmly as possible.

"I see you're still on a mission to change the world then old man," she said with a hint of condescension.

Vado refused to tolerant her insolence, but knew better than to act out in his master's presence. He'd have to get her back later.

"You know damn well I'm only a few years older you and better to change the world than play gladiator in that waste of space coliseum," he shot back trying to decide which part of the comment he was more upset about.

Lucia prepared for her turn in what was sure to be a never ending exchange, but the taller of the men interjected. "Come on now; do you all have to be so angry so early in the day."

"Yes, I keep telling these kids that it's important to get along with their guild mates Auron," said Master Seigfreid. "Why, are you two being so shy, come over and meet your guild mate." He added motioning to Alice and Adrienne.

The pair was unaware that he had even noticed them and stood frozen now.

"Oh come on. I'm old, I'm not senile," he said waving them over again.

They walked over and introduced themselves to the pair of gentleman. As they finished Adrienne's excitement got the better of her. "Which one of you is The Harbinger?" she blurted out excitedly.

Master Seigfreid's laughter was the first sound to break the silence that had ensued.

Lucia shook her head in disgust and explained who the two men in front of them were. "Adrienne. This is Vado Boin, One of the first members to join the Eternal Knights and this" she said motioning to the man on the right "is Auron Stone."

Alice's confusion took hold of her now. "But, the bell rang. That should mean a Bell Kin returned."

"And one has," said Master Seigfreid laughing and pointing to Auron.

"I don't understand," said Alice. "I've never seen you before."

The giant man laughed it off and leaned down to the pair of girls. "It's been a few years since I came back home. I was away working on some different projects abroad."

He stood up straight again and looked around him at the different buildings around him. "It's nice to see that the city I designed is still in top shape," he said eyeing them from behind his cheeky grin.

"You built this city!" yelled out Adrienne and Alice in unison.

"Yup," he said through a proud chuckle. "When I was a little older than you, this city decided that it would try and improve its image by attempting a complete overhaul. I designed it and built the structure for it."

"Yea, he even built the coliseum later on" said Vado with clear disgust in his voice.

Auron chuckled at his companion's distaste for the coliseum. "You've got to let it go kid," he said slapping Vado in the back and nearly knocking him over.

Master Seigfreid, who had been laughing the whole time, finally composed himself enough to speak again. "This is Auron Stone, The Architect."

"Oh that's right, I forgot I had that title. Has The Harbinger been gone so long that people can get them confused with me instead?"

"Nope, Adrienne is a new member and I think you left before Alice even joined," answered Lucia while racking her brain for their dates of arrival and departure.

"Them?" interjected Adrienne. "Do you also not know who The Harbinger is?"

The older gentleman thought it over. "No. I know who they are. But they've put so much effort into keeping it a secret from everyone that I don't think I have the right to reveal any detail about them to anyone."

Before anyone could add anything more to the conversation, there was a series of loud noises from within in the crowd.

The first words the group of mages heard were "I swear you idiots are always in my way!" followed by flying townspeople fawning over the mage who had launched them away.

After a few moments Master Jade broke through to the front of the crowd. "Ah! I was right it is you. You old fart," he said before pulling the much taller man into a back breaking hug that lifted him off the ground.

Master Jade put him down and was met with a back breaking hug of Auron's own. "Ha, old man your grip's getting weak."

The group of mages and the town watched as the pair of middle aged men broke into several mini duels of arm-wrestling, push-ups and seeing who could lift more townspeople. When they were content with series of ties, Master Jade said "It's good to see you haven't lost a step out in the wild."

"You think I'd just let up because I was away you old fool. Anyway, I'm here to talk to you about the plan for thing I mailed you about," said Auron.

"Oh, right. Of course, of course," answered Master Jade as he cleared a pathway in the townspeople.

With the architect's departure, the crowd soon dispersed leaving the Eternal Knight mages and Master Seigfreid alone outside their guild.

"What? Why is he so friendly with Master Jade if he's with the Eternal Knights?" asked Adrienne.

Master Seigfreid thought for a moment and then explained the situation at hand. "Adrienne, in this town there are three guilds and we compete over everything and fight nearly every day. But we don't hate each other. We just have different views on the way this world works." He motioned to Alice and added "some of us have family in other guilds." He turned to Lucia "and some have friends in other guilds. But we learn to look past our differing views and enjoy the people we have in our lives."

He took a breath and continued in a cheerier tone "Now those two have been friends since they were small children. They grew up together and before Jade left this town and met me, he and Auron looked out for this city when it was a much darker place. And to answer your question, he isn't an Eternal Knight. He actually doesn't belong to any guild. Most Bell Kin don't."

Before Adrienne could ask any more questions about Jade and Auron, Vado interjected. "Yea, he only came this way because of me. We bumped into each other and he was lost so we took this way in."

"That's great Vado," said Alice jokingly. "Now let's get out of here before Master Narissa shows up too."

"Oh, I don't think we'll have to worry about that," said Lucia nonchalantly. "Those two haven't been on speaking terms in years. But Alice, I'm surprised you have time to lounge about. I was sure that I saw your name down for an exhibition match on the 17th."

Alice's face went pale. "Oh gosh. I forgot all about that. Come on Adrienne, I've got to go get ready for my match," she said running into the guild.

At the sound of the word match Adrienne perked up and raced behind her panicking friend.

* * *

**October 17, X791, 4:00 P.M, Inside the ruins North of Brightholt City**

"Aobaaaa," whined Tally. "Can't we stop for a bit?"

Tally usually liked staying active, but walking around aimlessly in a ruin wasn't fun at all. The ruin was bland in design, but maintained a shimmery blue shade of color despite years of decay. The ceilings were high, but upon closer inspection, moss could be seen breaking free from the cracks and spreading across the wall.

She could tell that her words were falling on deaf ears. So she ran ahead of her short green eyed friend, stopped in front of her and in one breath she quickly blurted out "We've been walking for hours. I'm out of candy. Aren't you tired? It's nice and cool in here. Don't you have anything sweet to eat? My feet hurt. I don't even remember why we're here anymore."

The vein in Aoba's head swelled more and more with each question. She was accustomed to her younger partner's antics, but her patience was wearing thing. Just as she was about to explode, the ruins shook. They looked around at the dust and pebbles being shaken lose as the ruin settled down. It had been shaking sporadically since they had broken into the ruins, but the further in they went, the more violent the shaking became.

She slapped the back of Tally's head as she walked on ahead of her. "You see, we've got to find out what the hell is causing that." She called over her shoulder. "Ow!" said Tally clasping one hand to the back of her head. "Alright. Alright. I'm coming," as she ran after Aoba.

They ran down a corridor and at the end there were two directions for them to choose from. Either direction seemed to be a darker hallway. They gave each other an inquisitive glance and then they both yelled "Not splitting up."

They let out a giggle and then flipped a coin to decide which way to go. They went left and followed the new corridor and found themselves at yet another fork in the road. They decided to go right this time. And at the end of this corridor was another split.

"Ugh! How much further till this is over!" yelled Aoba, her anger slowly unraveling her neatly done hair.

Tally looked over at her small friend whose angry red face could be seen even through her veil. She struggled to hold in her laughter before letting it all burst out.

"What's so funny!" she yelled to her partner on the ground.

Tally managed to compose herself for a few seconds to squeak out "I thought you were supposed to be the calm one and I'm supposed to be childish. Hahaha. I mean take a look at yourself."

Aoba pulled out a compact mirror from within her kimono and took a look at her hair and face.

"Oh no," she exclaimed. "I've got to fix this now and stop laughing like an idiot Tally," snapped Aoba.

A few minutes passed and Aoba had reconstructed her perfect hair style and Tally had finally silenced most of her laughter. The occasional giggle would slip out when she remembered seeing her friend look even a little disheveled for the first time in her life.

"Ahem," said Aoba trying to regain control of the situation. "We've got to get a move on. We made it this far, but you and I both know that means there should be someone ahead of us and close behind us."

Tally silenced her giggling now; she had forgotten that the mayor issued this mission personally to all three guilds. His love of the coliseum usually forced him to issue his missions in reverse order of the coliseum rankings. Nova Eos had been given a head start and Scarlet Phantom couldn't have been far behind them. They were both sure that Scarlet Phantom's resident ruin expert would jump at the chance for a mission requiring her expertise.

"We've been making good time. Do you really think they could have caught us already?" said Tally worriedly.

Aoba thought it over for a moment. "I'm not sure, but Master Seigfreid trusted us with this mission. I don't want to disappoint him so let's get going."

Tally agreed and then they were off again. After a few more repetitions of long corridors with two turns they reached a stone door. They pushed past and stumbled into a circular room made of blue stone. Including the entrance they had just used, there were four entrances into the room.

"Which way now?" said Tally "If we keep going like this, we'll never find out what's causing the ruins to shake like this."

Before Aoba could answer, the door across from them opened and a tall man with long straight black hair falling down to his lower back and aristocratic features walked in. His hair framed his face and His eyes were an almond shape with a royal purple hue, while his skin was a pale in complexion. His body was lean, but bore the appearance of someone who had just recently put on muscle. He wore a long grey coat which covered most of his body and brown military boots. On his hands he wore white gloves.

It took a moment to scan the room and its inhabitants, but eventually his eyes landed on the two girls staring him down.

"Aoba?" he said confused "So I guess Master Seigfreid sent y…"

"Go" whispered Tally cutting him off. Everyone in the room looked at her. "Go Aoba Go!" yelled Tally as she cut off him off and pushed Aoba into the nearest unexplored corridor.

"Tally, what's wrong? It's just Rau." yelled Aoba as she struggled to gain her footing with her partner still pushing her along.

After a few moments they were both finally running and far behind them they heard the door they had just passed through open up.

"Rau isn't the problem," said Tally between breaths. "But we caught up to him already, then Francheska can't be far behind and I don't think any of want to run into her."

Aoba shuddered at the thought. The Scarlet Phantoms had a lot of battle hungry people throughout their ranks, but Francheska was always one bad day away from tearing through anyone in her way.

"You're right, I thought we had more time and I got side tracked when Nova Eos' mage turned out to be Rau," said Aoba.

"Guys, wait up!" yelled Rau from behind them. But they kept on running.

The corridor they were in was much longer than the last few they had traversed, but they seemed to be nearing the end because ahead of them there was sunlight leaking in. They reached the end and found themselves teetering at the edge of a ledge overlooking a grassy circular enclosed area from a few stories up. They scanned for a way to climb down, but didn't have enough time to consider any options because the ruins shook once more launching them from the ledge to the ground below.

* * *

**October 17, X791, 4:00 P.M, Nova Eos Guild Hall**

"There's no way I'll be able to get approval for this Auron," said Master Jade in a defeated voice.

They were sitting at the bar and he was looking over a set of blueprints that Auron had designed for Nova Eos and could not see any way that the mayor would agree to ideas like this. He looked over to Auron and was met with wide mischievous grin.

Then it occurred to Master Jade almost immediately. He broke out into his own cheesy smile and said "But you wouldn't be here, if you didn't get approval already."

Auron broke out in laughter. "Took you much longer to realize than I expected."

He stood up and was eyeing different parts of the guild hall. Then he looked back over his shoulder at Master Jade. "Yeah it took a few weeks of convincing the mayor," said Auron nonchalantly. "I tried reminding him of all the good that me and Seigfreid building Alliance Hall did and he wouldn't budge. Eventually he warmed up to the idea when I told him it would bring more mages to Brightholt."

By the time he finished his sentence Jade had him in another backbreaking hug. "Oh, come on man," yelled Auron. "Let me down already. You're embarrassing me you old fool."

Jade let him down and Auron invited him outside to take one last look at the guild hall as it was from outside.

They walked out the door sealing the guild behind them and began discussing how the finished product was going to look when a young lady interrupted them.

"Achoo!" sneezed Auron. "You ever get the feeling that somebody just finished talking about you."

"Master Jade? What are you doing out here?" said a voice from behind them.

Master Jade turned to see who the owner of the voice was.

"Ah, Hazel. You're back already. I didn't expect you so soon." said Master Jade. "I take it everything went well." He added knowingly.

Jade was slyly scanning her for injuries that she might hide to save him worry. But from what he could tell, she was fine. She was unharmed. She was tall and still long, wavy brown hair that reached the small of her back. There was a streak of green on the right side and her skin was a lovely pale complexion. There was a beauty mark on the right side of her right eye and as they were her namesake, her eyes were a shade of hazel. There wasn't a speck of dirt on her clothes either. She wore a long white skirt and a white blouse with a green coat and tan sandals.

"Yup. No problems whatsoever Master Jade," She answered as Auron turned to join the conversation.

"Hazel? Jeez. How long have I actually been gone Jade?" said Auron looking between his friend and Hazel.

"Too long my friend," said Master Jade as he reminded Hazel who the frighteningly tall man to his right was. "Hazel, this is The Architect."

Her eyes went wide and she ran up to hug him. "Mister Auron, it's been so long."

Jade watched the pair and thought back to when Auron was always around. Auron had been in Brightholt at the inception of all three guilds and since they were close he always hung around Nova Eos. So the more senior members were sure to be happy to have him back. _Maybe Auron is right and we'll turn everything around starting now._

Jade broke away from his inner thoughts and said "Tell her why you're back Auron."

"Oh, right. I'll be redesigning the guild hall," said Auron in a matter of fact voice.

At first it seemed like a good idea to Hazel, but as she thought it over, she remembered how her guild master and Auron were always out of control when they were together and shuddered at thought of the end result.

"No!" she yelled. "Let me get my stuff out of my room first." She ran to the door to get inside and found that it was sealed.

"Why can't I get inside!" she said exasperatedly.

The two men were struggling to contain their laughter at this point. Master was the first to regain his self-control and said "Hazel, we're gonna begin work on the guild today, so everyone is locked out until after it's done."

When he saw her face gaze go blank he was able to see what had her worried. "Don't worry, we'll take care not to break anything," Jade tried to jokingly reassure her. "Anyhow, Jackie is supposed to be in the square by now and everyone should be at the coliseum later."

She walked away from the door defeated. "Please don't break anything," she pleaded.

Auron and Jade let out a few more laughs and agreed, sending her on her way.

* * *

**October 17, X791, 4:00 P.M, Scarlet Phantom. Mistress Narissa's office**

Master Narissa sat alone in her office. Her office humongous; it took up the same space as 4 or 5 regular bedrooms. She sat behind a dark Oakwood desk that had small ghost-like figures engraved in the edge of the desk. The room itself was a warm rose like red color and had several bookshelves and bright red sconces placed throughout the room. She was known to value strength above all else and along the walls she had photos of what would currently be the personification of her own strength. There were six photos in the room; three on each wall. Each photo held a moving image of her six beloved S-class mages. The door across the room led into the guild and the door behind her led into her own private bedroom.

Right now she was disgusted with the way the day had turned out. She hadn't cared to see the results of the juggernaut match from earlier. She was trying to engineer a way to take Nova Eos down even further and with her current plan thwarted she could care less.

The entire guild was now silent because her mages were either training in the Scarlet Phantom's private training area, relaxing in the town or on a mission. She narrowed her eyes on the door across from her. She asked for several documents a little over a minute ago. Madeline was usually more than prepared for her master's requests and Narissa rarely had to ask for anything, but today was different. Madeline Sable was a special mission, so her pupil would be filling in for her.

"Fuyumi!" she yelled. "Hurry and bring me the documents I asked for."

Almost immediately a young girl ran into the office carrying a stack of papers.

She ran across the room and splattered the documents across her master's desk. Narissa glanced over the documents and then back up at the girl currently out of breath.

"Fuyumi," she said in a softer voice still laced with irritation. "Compose yourself."

The young girl stood up straight and began fixing her clothes and hair. Her hair was blood red much like her master's, but she had it styled in the shape of a tiara. She was dressed like a ballerina and had the body to match it. Lean and toned to accommodate her practice in her free time. The bodice she wore matched her blood red hair, but its lining was gold. She had on a white skirt which was, but the attachment between the chest piece and the skirt made it seem as if they were only held together by a thin line of red paint. Scattered throughout the skirt were all the cards of a deck with a heart suit. Despite the eccentricity of her dress her shoes were simply half red and half white ballerina shoes.

She finished fixing her hair and dress and when Master Narissa realized that the young girl wasn't speaking she spoke again. "Fuyumi, you know that you are more than welcome to speak in my presence. That rule no longer applies to you my dear girl."

Fuyumi reviewed the rule in her mind. You will only speak when spoken to unless you're a mage in the top twenty in the coliseum. A cheerful smile broke out across Fuyumi's face. "That's right!" she squealed while clapping her hands together. "I made it to number 18 this Grand Prix."

Master Narissa shook her head in approval. "Come my dear, take a seat and relax. It'll be just you and me until Madeline gets back."

Fuyumi's eyes widened. She longed for her master's approval and now she was being offered a seat at her table. "Any word from Francheska about the ruins to the North," asked Fuyumi as she sat.

Narissa was puzzled. She thought for a moment and then remembered that she had Fuyumi running errands all day so there was no way she'd have known about the job that Madeline and Francheska were on.

"I sent Francheska along with Madeline out East. There appears to be an issue with a town and some sort of wild beast. They specifically requested Madeline and Francheska," said Narissa with pride in her voice.

"And besides, Francheska's already explored that entire ruin by herself."

Fuyumi was already caught up in the idea of both Madeline and Francheska on a mission together. To most people, that seemed like the most likely pairing to bring nothing, but pain to anything in its way, but Fuyumi was star struck by the idea. Both of her idols working together was just too much to bear.

"Oh, I wish they would have taken me," she said crossing her arms like a small child.

Master Narissa watched the young girl. Even to her the transformation was odd. Outside the walls of this guild, she was a recluse. She'd hide behind her fellow mages and avoid people in general. Then in the ring it was a different story altogether. Watching her fight made the viewer feel cold and empty. She seemed to be emotionless and full of power similar to her idols. But here before Narissa, sat the wildly interactive Fuyumi who loved her guild mates and would play and train just as much as the next mage.

"Then I would have been all alone my dear," said Master Narissa.

Fuyumi cheered up immediately. She decided to see if she could push herself further into her master's good graces.

"Madam" she half whispered. "I thought I might inform you that a Bell Kin returned today."

Master Narissa shook her head knowingly. "Yes, I don't really care to see The Harbinger though."

Fuyumi's eyes widened. "Um, madam," she squeaked out.

"Out with it already Fuyumi!" yelled Narissa.

"It was The Architect who returned today madam."

The room went cold and the light in the sconces around the room died out immediately and then on cue with her scream, the room was deathly hot. "What!" she yelled loud enough so that her voice shook the entirety of the Scarlet Phantom territory.

"Leave me!" she yelled retiring to her quarters through the door behind her.

Fuyumi exited the room in a hurry. She closed the door behind her and let out a sigh. "She's amazing."

* * *

**October 17, X791, 4:30 P.M, Town Square**

"Tell me again why I have to go see Hazel," said Javier. He was walking alongside Jackie who had decided that bandages and all, she was going to meet Hazel.

Jackie still wasn't talking to him, but she had calmed down a bit and agreed to walk around the town with him. After they had started moving through the town, she quickly said that they were both going to see Hazel and then she returned to silence.

"Ah, come on Jackie. You can't stay mad at me and not even tell me what I did wrong," said Javier while he nudged her in the side.

She shot him a glare through the corner of her eyes that said don't dig yourself any deeper than you already are and he shut up for the rest of the walk.

They found themselves at Magdalena's restaurant sitting at an outdoor table on her terrace upstairs. The terrace was restricted to S-class mages or S-class mages who brought along other mages. The winding staircase entrance to the terrace was inside of Magdalena's restaurant, but seeing how very few people had access to it, it was fairly unknown. They were only sitting at the table in silence for a few minutes when Hazel entered the terrace floor.

Both girls started screaming in glee the moment they saw each other.

Almost in unison they screamed out "Sis!" and Hazel ran over to her fellow guild mate and pulled her into what seemed to be a never ending hug.

Hazel looked over Jackie's shoulder and saw Javier. "Javier!" she screamed out and dragged Jackie along with her and sucked him into her deathly hug.

"Hi, Hazel," he said gasping for breath.

"I'm much better now that I've seen two of my favorite guild mates," said Hazel.

She sat them all down. She sat on one side of the table with Javier next to Hazel and Jackie across from him. Then she immediately began talking.

"So, how has the guild been since I left. Quiet right? That's fine because I'm back now and we can do all sorts of different fun things. How has the coliseum been? Any of you rank up since I left?" her words tapered off into silence as she pieced together where Jackie's injuries must have come from.

Jackie had her head hung in depression again, but looked up to see why Hazel had stopped talking and caught her looking over her injuries. "No no no. It's fine. I'm fine. Don't worry about this Hazel. I'll be as good as new in no time," said Jackie in an attempt to reassure her friend.

Hazel could tell that this was probably a sour point for Jackie right. So she would be sure to come back to it again later. She shook her head understandingly and turned to ask Javier a question, but before she could start, the door to the terrace burst open and Lucia made her way over to them.

"Ahem," said Lucia motioning for Javier to clear the seat next to her friend.

He shook his head knowingly and moved around the table to sit next to Jackie.

"That's better," said Lucia coldly as she took the seat next to Hazel. All of the women at the table were deathly quiet and quickly exchanging glances much to Javier's confusion and then they burst into laughter.

"I can't believe you still fall for that Javier," said Lucia between laughter.

Javier relaxed and shook his head. "It's easy to fall for. You're so scary," he said joining in on the laughter.

All of the women kept laughing and then went silent almost instantaneously. "Who is scary?" asked Lucia her face devoid of all humor.

"Um. Uh. No one. No one is scary," he stammered out.

All of the ladies burst into laughter once more and Javier sunk into his seat. "I give up," he said.

The laughter died down after a bit and then Hazel remembered she was going to ask a question.

"Javier Montero. How has your training been going?" asked Hazel in her deepest interviewer voice as she held a pretend microphone up to him.

The sudden shift confused him, but he figured he'd play along. "Ah it's been going well, Ms. Rochelle. I've been working hard and I've moved up to number fourteen in the coliseum."

"Hmm. I see. That is an improvement," responded Lucia who had decided she would join in on the fun. "Do you have a ranked match coming up soon?" she added in a voice deep enough to match Hazel's.

"Uh. yeah. I'll be fighting against Marco Seifer," responded Javier.

"Oh, that'll be a tough one," said Hazel into her microphone. She held it up to Lucia now. "I think I'll go to my partner for some insight into this Marco Seifer."

"Yes, Hazel. This Marco Seifer is in fact a member of my guild. He's very fast and very strong," said Lucia trying to maintain the game they were playing, but her vanity got to her almost immediately and she broke character. "Though, he's not as strong as me," she sang out loud.

"Right. Right. Good information from Ms. Corazon," said Hazel. "One final question then Javier. Are you and Jacqueline Arison still not dating?" she added as she held her microphone up to the both of them.

Lucia fell out of her seat in laughter and both of their faces went red and their eyes went wide. It was quiet for a few moments and then Javier got up and said "yea, I'll see you all at the coliseum later."

"Oh come on Javier," teased Hazel as Javier left the restaurant with his face dyed red.

* * *

**October 17, X791, 5:00 P.M, Eternal Knights**

"So you're not nervous at all," asked Adrienne as she watched Alice pick an outfit to wear for her match later.

Alice stopped for a moment and thought it over. "No, I usually don't fight too often, because I try and stick to exhibition fights with high winning pay outs."

Adrienne was glad to have met Alice and to find out that she was nothing like her sister, but in the few days that they had been with one another they hadn't really seen each other's magic. She was curious now. "Hey, do you use the same kind of magic as your sister?" asked Adrienne.

"Nope," said Alice as she pulled out what seemed to be a blue version of her sister's combat gear.

Adrienne scratched her and thought about what other similarities Alice might have with her sister as Alice went into the bathroom to change.

"What magic do you use then?" asked Adrienne. "Are you as strong as your sister?"

Alice emerged from the bathroom shaking her head. "You've come this far without seeing magic. A few more hours won't kill you Adrienne. And I'm definitely not as strong as she is, plus she enjoys fighting almost as much as you do. I just try and relax and have a good time."

Adrienne shook her head and then realized she couldn't wait anymore. She dropped down to her knees and began pleading. "Oh, can't I just have a peek at your magic Alice," asked Adrienne. "Oh, I know," she said as she jumped to her feet. "How about we have a quick match?" she added

"Adrienne, I have a match in a few hours," said Alice as if it was the most obvious answer Adrienne's question.

"I know," said Adrienne matter of factly.

Alice laughed it off and walked out of the room calling to her friend behind her. "Come on, let's get to the arena," said Alice as she left the room.

* * *

**October 17, X791, 5:00 P.M, Inside the ruins North of Brightholt City**

"Aoba. Tally. Wake up. You guys gotta get up."

These were the words that caused Aoba was the first to stir from her sleep. She woke up to an immense headache.

"Ow!" she yelled as she sat herself up. "What happened?"

Her eyes caught a glimpse of the ledge above her that she had been standing on and the not moving shape of Tally to her right and the events of the last few hours came back to her. She saw Rau trying to tend to what seemed like a gash in her arm and she rushed over to help.

"Tally, come on. You gotta get up Tally!" she frantically yelled out.

Aoba's voice reached Tally and she awoke from her unconsciousness as if she'd just taken a slight nap. "Did you get the candy yet Aoba?" she asked while stretching and yawning.

A tear broke free from behind Aoba's veil and she threw her arms around Tally's neck strangling her in the embrace.

"Geez Aoba. If I knew you'd be so affectionate when I woke up. I think I'd take naps more often," said Tally.

Aoba let out a giggle and then pointed to the ledge where they were last together. "You weren't napping, we fell from up there. That's why your arm is cut," explained Aoba.

"Why were you two running from me in the first place?" asked Rau. He had been quiet for most of the exchange, but now that he was sure they were more or less alright he wanted to know.

Aoba was the one who answered. "We weren't running from you Rau," she said while clutching the growing lump on the side of her head. "We just figured that if we caught up to you, then Francheska couldn't have been far behind us and."

"Ah, I get it," he said waving off the rest of the explanation. "I don't think I want to run into her down here either."

The ruins shook once more and after exchanging a few reassuring glances they got up and proceeded to move out of the grassy enclosure they had fallen into. There was one exit and this time, Aoba and Tally were more than willing to travel together with Rau because of their injuries.

They pushed through the door and found themselves in another circular room. This was a dark blue color and along the wall were several inscriptions in another language. There was moss coming from several cracks and the sole source of lighting was a large circular cut in the stone ceiling that let light shine down onto a giant sized stone tablet. The stone tablet also had inscriptions on it. But the most peculiar thing in the room was not the tablet, but the young man that stood in front of it.

He had thick black hair that was long and untamed. It seemed to part at the top of his head framing the rest of his face. He had green eyes and a sharp jawline that gave him the appearance of being handsome. When he turned to face the group of mages, s small scar could be seen on the side of his right eye. He had on dark blue jeans and a blue and white button flannel shirt. The shirt was left unbuttoned so the black undershirt he wore could be seen. His hands were taped up and he wore black sneakers with the red laces that formed several X's on the shoes.

He had turned to the group for a moment and then turned back to the tablet. He focused his magic into his hand and then punched the tablet dead on. The group looked where he had just lifted his fist from on the stone. It was clear he had been here for a while, but the stone itself had taken very little damage and barely had any cracks in it at all.

Aoba was the first to speak. "Hey, what's going on here?" she asked the young man. When she realized that he was ignoring her, she ran forward a bit and explained who they were and that he had to stop whatever it was that he was doing.

Again her words were ignored. "Are you listening?" she yelled. "You better stop or…"

There was a loud explosion as a pillar of fire burst through the wall and into the room, but Aoba didn't have time to deal with it. The sheer magnitude of the magical pressure that caused it had brought her to her knees. She looked around for the owner of the force and saw Rau and Tally struggling just a bit better than she was. The next culprit in her mind had to be the man in front of them, but when she was finally able to raise her head and catch a glimpse of him he was in an equally pitiful state.

From the hole caused by the fire she heard a voice ask "So what's going on here?" it asked as its owner stepped into the room slowly. As it approached the pressure on the room's inhabitants became fiercer. When it was next to Aoba, she felt as if she would suffocate and then the pressure was gone.

"You can't be serious. I let out some magical energy and you all fall to your knees. Pitiful. Every one of you," said the voice.

Rau was the first to recover and raised his head after he had caught his breath. His eyes widened in fear. "Sai!" he yelled as he tried to gulp down his fear. "Why are you here?"

The man Rau had addressed as Sai wore a skin tight sleeveless black shirt with the Scarlet Phantom logo on the back in dark red. His dark red pants had two grey belts on top and he also wore a pair of gunmetal grey steel toed boots. His blond hair was spiky and wild. His eyes were blue and his ears appeared to be point. He had been thinking over Rau's question for a while, but he turned to his fellow mage and said "I'm here to find out what's been causing the disturbance in the ruins," he said in a matter of fact voice. Then a devilish grin spread across his face and he added "And it seems, I completed the mission first."

Aoba finally recovered and began her argument. "What are you talking about Sai?" she asked as she stood to her feet and finished catching her breath. "We were here first."

He looked down at the shorter lady and his eyes seemed to look straight through her. "You're mistaken," he said. He turned to the nameless young man in question and finished his thought. "You may have been here first, but the mission rewards whoever comes back to Brightholt first. If I beat you all down and drag him back, then I was first."

Rau stood up now. "You really plan on fighting all of us Sai. Even you're not that crazy," he said calmly.

"Look at you all. Most of you can barely stand," said Sai as the magic inside of him slowly built up. Then he yelled "But even if that wasn't the case. I am Number 6, Sai Nuria!"

Aoba quickly retreated to where Tally and Rau were and the three of them built up as much energy as quickly as they could.

Rau took off his coat, revealing his skin tight blue shirt, green cargo pants and the muscle that unending training had brought him. He dropped the coat to the side and the floor broke beneath it.

Tally was the first to attack. She focused her energy into her arms and darted towards Sai.

"Violet Djinn Slayer's Wing" and she aimed to connect her fist with Sai's face.

He caught the fist, lit his own arm ablaze and threw her into the wall across the room.

"Couture de Affûtée" said Aoba as she ran towards Sai and sliced at him with her sharpened sleeves.

He effortlessly dodged each attack with simple side steps. When she lunged into him, he jumped behind her and fired a kick at the back of a vulnerable Aoba.

Rau jumped in between them and caught the brunt of the kick, but it still sent him and Aoba flying into the wall.

Tally jumped back out now and tried to connect a kick with Sai. She yelled "Violet Djinn Slayer's Talon" as her leg decimated the ground where he had been standing.

She looked around for him and found him above her. As he began his descent he built up the flame in his hand and then unleashed it as he collided with Tally.

"Pyro Sphere!"

Tally dodged the initial impact of the spell, but the force caught her as she landed and knocked her off her feet.

"Hollow Ray!" yelled a voice from within the hole in the wall and a beam of dark purple magic blasted out and hit Sai in his back.

Rau emerged from the hole and charged forward.

Sai prepared to dodge him, but as the man came close he found that he couldn't move.

He looked over his shoulder and saw Aoba finishing a spell of her own.

She was breathing heavy, but between breaths she could be heard saying "Shear." Several thin threads, that were nearly invisible, had Sai stuck in place.

Rau used his momentum to land a punch on Sai and send him sliding across the room. He got up to retaliate, but found that he was locked in place again. Tally stood to her feet again and she and Rau began building up their energy once more.

"Violet Djinn Slayer's Hymn!" yelled Tally.

Rau followed up by releasing several small dark orbs. As he closed his fist they all darted towards Sai. "Dark Erasure!"

They were sure they hit him for a moment, but when the magic subsided their joy faded. Where Sai stood was a body composed entirely of flame. The flame's subsided and revealed an unharmed Sai.

He was shaking his head in disbelief at their lack of strength.

Then Sai released the spell he had been building since his captivity began. "Pyro blast" he said coldly and a flame burst forth with him as the epicenter. Tally, Aoba and Rau were all sent crashing into the walls around him.

Sai scanned the room for any more threats and then turned his attention the boy who had been quiet throughout the entire exchange. He smiled. "Well, that was fun. Come on. Let's go," said Sai as he motioned for the boy to follow him.

The boy looked around the room at the damage that had been caused and then a sly smile broke out on his face.

He built up his magic and said "Helle Platten des Zorns wird Ihr letzter Anblick sein!"

His arms became coated in steel and his magical power intensified. "Let's go!" he yelled out before joining in on the fight.

He caught Sai off guard and the fist connected with his abdomen. As Sai stood doubled over in pain the boy raised his fist above Sai in preparation to drop it into his Sai's back.

The fist came hammering down and Sai caught it. He ignited his entire body and built up the magic inside himself.

The boy swung his other fist and that was caught as well. He twisted both arms and brought the boy to his knees.

Sai had a look of twisted pleasure on his face. "Woo!" he yelled out to no one in particular. "I would have never guessed I'd see this magic here today," said Sai looking at the fists currently trapped within his own.

Tally, Aoba and Rau were currently stumbling out of the broken walls.

"Hey. Idiots," He called to the three other mages. "You see what magic are friend here has?"

Sai looked at the boy once again and it clicked in his head. "What's your name?" he said as he twisted his captive's hands.

He let out a yell of pain and said "Aeden. Aeden Rythmia"

Sai laughed a once more. "Looks like I've got a family reunion to attend" he said as he knocked Aeden unconscious and threw him over his shoulder. "See ya in Brightholt, idiots," he said to the three mages still reeling from the fight.

* * *

**October 17, X791, 7:00 P.M, The Coliseum – Arena B**

Alice stood in the arena currently and across from her was Junjo. The referee came down from the ceiling and began the initiation of the match.

"The following match is an exhibition style match. The first person to knock their opponent out of the arena once is the winner. The referee signaled for the outer ring of the arena to be retracted. The outer ring slowly retracted revealing that it usually covered a 30 foot drop into water. Also if either participant fails to win within three minutes then the match will be a draw and both participants will split the prize money of 50,000 Jewels."

He turned to Javier and began "Number 19, Junjo Rosario, are you ready?"

"Well, I hate to fight a lady, but I guess I've got no choice. I'm ready," responded Junjo.

The Lacrima Referee turned to Alice and said "Number 31, Alice Sable, are you ready?"

She flashed Junjo a friendly smile and said "Yup."

With that the referee shot into the air above them and announced for the arena to hear. "You May Begin!"

Junjo was still on the fence about fighting Alice, but he needed to win this match. It was important. "Sorry about this Alice, maybe we can go on a date afterwards. I promise to make this up to you."

"Mecha Take Over: Mortar Chamber!" yelled Junjo and his entire chest rematerialized into a metal chest plate. His chest opened and revealed 6 square slots, each housing a small rocket.

"Are you sure about this Alice?"

She maintained her smile and sat down in the middle of the arena.

Adrienne had been sitting in her seat shocked. She was sitting in the crowd with Lucia and Hazel. She had seen the penalty for challenging someone out of your league very recently. "If Alice knew she was ranked 31st, why would she challenge someone 12 numbers above her?" she asked Lucia.

Lucia was lost in her own thoughts and responded in disgust. "What? What are you talking about?"

She looked down at the arena and pieced together Adrienne's question. "Oh don't worry. She'll be fine."

"But she doesn't use the same magic as her sister, what makes you think she'll be ok?" asked Adrienne who was starting to panic as Junjo finished his preparations.

"Fire!" he yelled and the 6 rockets came hurdling towards Alice. They collided and the spot which she was sitting in was now covered in smoke and fire.

When it cleared, Junjo's eyes went wide. Before him, Alice sat with her legs criss-crossed. She was still smiling at him and her hands were in neatly in her lap, but behind her stood a gigantic golden statue. It had two legs and four faces. Each of its faces was a different expression. On its left side it had fifteen arms and on its right side it had sixteen arms. Each of the arms was long enough to clear the arena in its shortened form. It had six of its arms currently outstretched in front of the smiling redhead.

Adrienne sat perfectly still in shock.

Lucia caught a glimpse of it and laughed bringing Adrienne back to reality. She shook off her shock and asked "What the hell is that?"

That is Alice's magic. The thirty-one armed stone cherub.

Back in the Arena Junjo stood in shock. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but a quick glance at the clock that the referee held said there was one minute and fifty-seven seconds left.

He materialized more rockets and began an attempt to hit Alice.

"Fire!" he yelled over and over again. As the rockets closed in on Alice, she closed her eyes and the statue opened its eyes. Then began deflecting each and every rocket away from its master.

"Thirty-one? That's such a weird number," said Adrienne.

Lucia shook her head in agreement, but said "The number thirty-one is important to her. It's no coincidence that she is also number thirty-one in the coliseum. She purposely gets there every cycle and stops trying to go further.

Adrienne was listening to Lucia while watching what seemed to be the perfect defense.

"I don't understand why she said that Madeline is stronger than her. With ability like that, she could easily catch up to her," exclaimed Adrienne.

"No," answered Lucia coldly. "The gap is too far for her to catch up. She'd have to come up with a new means of using her ability."

"What are you talking about?" asked Adrienne. She was in the process of trying to figure out what could be the downfall to Alice's magic, when the face currently looking at Junjo shattered leaving behind a hole. The head twisted ninety degrees to the left and revealed another face.

"What was that?" asked Adrienne.

"That is the reason why I say that Alice can't catch Madeline with this alone. Every thirty one seconds one of the faces will shatter and when they're all gone. Alice is out of magic.

"Wow, that's insane. So she's only able to fight for about two minutes?" asked Adrienne.

Lucia laughed. "Yup, but don't feel sorry for her just yet. Madeline might be stronger, but Alice is certainly smarter. Alice only fights 3 minute exhibition battles. So for two minutes and four seconds she is untouchable because that statue will continuously defend her with its life. Junjo probably forgot to do his homework on his opponent and didn't know about her ability. He wasted time in that fifty-six second window by feeling sorry for her. So she summoned the statue at the two minute mark in the fight."

"That's incredible. There's no way he can win then?"

Lucia thought for a moment. "Eh, it's unlikely. But it's for exactly this reason that I believe that Alice is far crueler in battle than Madeline. For two minutes she plays an unlosable game."

Down in the arena, Junjo had been firing non-stop and was getting more and more tired. He kept thinking to himself that he was the only one who had been on offense for the entire fight. There was a minute and ten seconds left on the clock.

As he finished the thought, one of the statue's arms swept at him and jumped to dodge it only to be slammed into the ground by a hand from above.

He struggled to get to his feet and dispelled his mortar take over.

"Mech Take Over: Double Gatling!" His shoulders mechanized and then two gatling guns formed out of them. He began firing magic bullets believing that he could simply outgun the thirty-one arms.

The statue used several arms to completely cover Alice. Another face broke and then it resumed its attack on Junjo.

He had to dodge several hands from above and from in front of him. The statue was slowly forcing him to the edge. When he reached the edge, he stopped firing.

Another face broke and Junjo decided to match defense with defense. He dispelled his guns.

"Mech Take Over: Alloy Guard!" His whole body covered itself in metal plates. He clamped his feet into the ground and awaited the blow that was sure to come from in front of him. He was sure that he could withstand it without being knocked off the ledge.

A few seconds passed and then he felt weightless.

Several of the hands had slammed down around him propelling him into the air. A final hand came from even higher above him and swatted him away from the arena floor and into the water.

The referee descended as the stone giant dissipated and Alice jumped to her feet very excitedly.

"The winner is number 31, Alice Sable!" shouted the referee.

"Yay!" shouted Alice as she went to help Junjo out of the water and collect the prize money.

There was a loud earthquake like noise in the direction of the Nova Eos guild and from the arena people could see a large object looming over their territory. The Nova Eos members in the stadium all exchanged worried glances and darted in that direction.

* * *

**October 17, X791, 7:30 P.M, Nova Eos Guild Hall**

The members of Nova Eos arrived at what would have been their guild hall and a combination of fear, shock and excitement took hold of them. Where the guild once stood, a gigantic tree now lived.

The doors burst open and Master Jade and The Architect walked out.

"Phew!" said Auron looking at his friend. "That was harder than it looked."

"Yup, you're right. My back kind of hurts now," added Master Jade. "Oh, everyone's already here."

They looked at the group of mages surrounding them and in unison said "Welcome to the new Nova Eos Guild Hall!"

From the outside, the building was frightening. This was mostly because it now barely resembled a building. The base of their guild was now a gigantic tree. What was once a rundown build seemed to be scattered throughout a gigantic tree that sprung up in a matter of hours. Auron and Jade opened the doors at the base of the tree and led the guild members into the first floor of their tree shaped guild house. The first floor was still decorated in green, but now the floors and walls were that of the tree they were in. It was a dark Oak wood color. Where ever there had been a knot in the tree on the first floor was bored open to create windows. The air smelled of a combination of maple and pine. Most of the locations of different rooms on the first floor seemed to be unchanged, but their design was now that of a cool green paint and natural tree flooring.

Hazel walked in and felt the bar and the walls and said "It's soft to the touch!" This spurred the rest of the guild members to try it out. The walls were indeed soft, while maintaining their natural tree state. Surely the byproduct of different kinds of magic.

"But what about the rooms?" asked Junjo as he limped into the guild.

"Ahh, the rooms," said Master Jade as he motioned for Auron to lead them to the area directly across from the bar. It was a combination of vines and branches, but when you touched it with magic. It opened up and revealed a circular platform comprised of vines and different bark.

Auron got on the platform and signaled for a few people to follow along. When they got on, He said "residential," to no one in particular and the platform quickly elevated them to another floor. "While they're going up there, does anyone want to see our training center?"

"We don't have a training center," said Kai.

"Correction Kai, we didn't have a training center," retorted Master Jade.

Master Jade placed his hand on the vines again. And another elevator platform took shape. They all got on and it took them down. He stepped out of the elevator and said "We're currently beneath the tree. He pointed at several giant tree-like structures and said "these are the roots of the tree." He went over and touched one and as the roots began to glow, the entire area was illuminated. "And this is our training facility," he said as began showing them the different weight areas, sparring arenas and relaxation stations.

Auron stepped out into the long wooden hall way and continued his explanation.

"I'm sure you noticed from outside that where the guild once stood is the tree that we are currently in," he said with pride on his face. "The main floor is situated at the base of the tree and this floor is where all of the rooms are. It is located in the center of the tree." The guild members ran through the halls looking for their rooms.

"Oh thank you. Everything is still where I left it," shouted Hazel.

"See, I keep my promises Hazel. We had some help with that part, but all of your rooms are intact. The flooring and walls might be different, but other than that it's fine.

"What about the S-class floor?" asked Jackie.

"Of course," Auron instructed the rest of the guild members to take the elevator back down and find Master Jade. Then he directed Hazel and Jackie to follow him. He led them around the corner and to a much smaller wooden staircase winded up for a few flights and then they were at a door comprised of what seemed to be more vines. "This door will only open for S-Class Nova Eos mages," he said with a sly smile on his face.

Jackie placed her hand on the door and the vines shrunk into the floor and walls allowing them passage. What Jackie and Hazel saw was beautiful.

They were in the very top of the tree and the sunset was bursting in past the leaves of the tree. And just above them floated Alliance Hall.

"So what do you all think?" asked Auron eagerly.

"It's wonderful" they both said in unison.

* * *

**Author Note:**

_**Special Thanks:**_

Special thanks to Raiyane

Special Thanks to all of the readers. If I haven't told you yet, I appreciate you all reading, reviewing and subscribing more than you'll ever know.

Special Thanks to The Imposter. You haven't seen it yet, but they've also contributed to the story a great deal.

Special Thanks to Barrett M107 for his contributions to the story and if you don't know, he's got an amazing story on his page.

Special Thanks to Reven228 Was the fight with Rau and Sai in it weird for you because I found it to be the funniest luck of the draw so far.

**How's it going?**

I want you all to be completely honest with me about anything that comes to mind. If you have an idea or a critique or I'm messing up your character, please let me know and we'll work on it.

If you ever find yourself curious about when a chapter is going to be released, the tentative date will be on my profile.

A few readers rightly reprimanded my lack of detail on the Nova Eos Guild Hall. Yup, I was being lazy. I knew I wanted to do this the whole time and didn't want to paint an elaborate picture and then paint over it again.

The sneeze was me trying to reference that joke that when you sneeze it means someone just finished talking about you. I'm sure that went over a lot of people's head because of my poor writing.

Another writer had a post-chapter event recently and it reminded me how much fun a certain type of game genre was. So if you know what I'm talking about, I'd greatly appreciate game suggestions from that genre.

I hope you all enjoyed the match between Alice and Junjo. The match up was PoisonBanana's reward for winning the post chapter event last update.

I also got a message about what other manga I read or would be willing to do a fanfiction for. I'll update my profile with other manga that I read, but the only one that I'd have an idea for would be a One Piece story so far. Oh well, if I ever decide to write it, I'll let you all know.

A few readers are under the impression that since there are three guilds the members should all hate everything about each other all of the time… I disagree…

I'm so grateful for all of you that were patient while my laptop was being uncooperative. Two weeks is a long time to go without updating and I'll try to make that not happen again. Thanks to everyone who checked in to see if I was alive as well, most of those messages were pretty funny.

**S-class openings update:**

Scarlet Phantoms – Closed

Nova Eos – Closed

Eternal Knights – Closed

So all mages henceforth would be joining the guild or would be a regular member. There's always the S-class trials…

I'd prefer to get submissions from people who never submitted before. But don't be afraid to send me an OC if you come up with one.

**Special Submission:**

**Djinn Slayer**

The submission guide for this will follow the same form, but you will have to discuss it with me. A few rules:

Submissions are now open to everyone.

You'll PM me your interest. I'll explain how the race works. Then I'll let you pick from the different types djinn slayers that I have been given and you'll message me back your form.

I will only accept one djinn slayer.


	5. Family Ties

**Author Note**

Hello everybody. Some quick stuff before the chapter.

Someone mentioned the "time line" in each chapter is confusing. I'm sorry about that. I usually start each scene with the date, time and location because there are a lot of different people that I want to cover in each chapter and it helps me organize it. That's why sometimes; the headings are completely the same except for the location. All that means is that both of those scenes happened at the same time. I hope that helps.

I wanted to know if anyone had any pairings for missions that they were interested in. A team they thought might be fun to see or be a part of. Thanks in advance.

* * *

**October 19, X791, 6:00 A.M, Alliance Hall**

Early in the hours of a new day most of the city was still asleep. But up above them the voice of a usually calm and in control Narissa was filling Alliance Hall with ear piercing screams of anger every few seconds.

"Two Days!" She screamed to Jade and Seigfreid. "I had to wait two days for this meeting to be held."

She walked over to the window and pointed to the Nova Eos guild hall. "Now someone is going to tell me why this eyesore is towering over part of my city!"

While Narissa was more enraged and energized than ever before, both Master Seigfreid and Master Jade were half awake. Master Seigfreid floated above his usual seat drifting in and out of consciousness and Master Jade had fallen asleep on top the circular table in the center of the room.

She stared at the pair and became even more infuriated. Her anger slowly boiling until, ever so slightly, a small flame came to life in her palm.

One of the many doors to the meeting room opened and a very round man of average height walked in. His short black hair was slowly receding into a widow's peak and he wore a grey suit that fit his roundish figure snuggly. His mustache was twirled endlessly and gave him the appearance of a garden variety villain, but his disposition was entirely contradictory. He bounded into the room smiling and laughing.

"Oh, come now Narissa. There's no need for such hostility," he said as he took inventory of the mages in the room.

At the sound of another voice, Jade awoke from his sleep and said "Morning Mayor Clark," pausing to yawn between each word and then falling asleep immediately after.

"Finally!" yelled Narissa as she dispersed the flame in her hand. She stalked over to the shorter man and began berating him with questions.

"How could you allow that monstrosity to be built? When was it even built?" She paused and pointed at a drooling Jade now. "All of my plans for renovations have been shot down and theirs happen without a kink. This isn't right."

The mayor maintained his happy grin throughout the entire one-sided exchange. "Yes, all of your plans have been denied Narissa, but that's because all of your plans don't take into account the people around it."

He walked over to the window and peered at the gigantic tree. "Hmm. The blueprints for this tree were perfect. Not one thing wasn't accounted for by Jade's associate."

Narissa narrowed her eyes at the mayor as he turned back to her. "What associate?" she said as anger laced voice and the different pieces of the last few days' events began to fit together.

The mayor looked to the area of the room for where he had expected the associate to be and then he looked to the door he had entered through. This particular door led to his office back on the ground.

He walked over to the door and peaked into it. From where Narissa stood she could hear him talking.

"You can't hide in here," said the mayor in a sterner than usual voice. Then he turned and walked back into the room with an even broader smile. Behind him now stood Auron.

"Now," said the mayor. "Explain to everyone here what you told me." He turned to the floating Master Seigfried and shook him awake. "Listen up Roy," he added as he regained some of his previous sternness.

He began his explanation for everyone, but kept his eyes fixed on Narissa. "I spent the last few weeks designing the new Nova Eos Guild. I tracked down the owners of every home that could be affected by it and explained what I was planning. The area around the tree is mostly Nova Eos' personal space and everyone who could be affected by the tree's presence was addressed in advance. All of their personal qualms were all taken into account when I designed this."

"There's no way anyone could do that, not even you," she shot back.

"And yet, I did, Narissa," said Auron.

"I could care less about the giant tree on the other side of town, but husbands and wives shouldn't fight so early in the morning," chimed Seigfreid causing Jade to burst out in laughter.

"Ex!" yelled Narissa and Auron in unison never breaking eye contact with one another.

"Oh, that's right. Forgive me. I'm getting rather old," said Seigfreid playfully.

Auron was the first to break his intense staring contest with Narissa.

"And senile," said Auron as he shook his head and tried to stifle a laugh.

Narissa broke next and her expression suddenly became gloomier. "Have you spoken to them recently?" she asked.

Auron looked her over and then said "The twins? Of course, I saw them just before coming to Brightholt."

Her demeanor changed once more and possessed a slight gleam of hopefulness. "So they're close? Are they coming back? How long ago was this?"

"No," Auron answered quietly. "After the way you acted. I wouldn't be surprised if you never got to see them again." He added before walking through the mayor's door.

As he disappeared out of sight he called back "Careful, Narissa. If you keep this up, people might actually think you have a heart."

Narissa recognized her lack of composure and immediately shook off the remnants of anything, but cold-heartedness.

"Fine. If that's all…" said Narissa before she was cut off.

"I have one more piece of business," said the mayor.

He walked over to the table and made sure that he had all three guild master's attention.

"My son has sent word that he and his team of hunters will be making a trip back."

All three guild master's glare intensified at the mention of the mayor's son.

The mayor continued now that he was sure of their attention. "He says he's got something to liven up the coliseum even more." He had a mischievous grin across his face that seemed to be hiding all sorts of plans.

He headed for his door now. "It's sure to be entertaining," sang the mayor as he walked back into his office. He closed the door behind him and his entrance to Alliance Hall solidified back into the stone wall.

The three guild masters sat quietly for a moment, knowing that this would mean that some of their mages would be facing something fierce in the weeks to come.

* * *

**October 19, X791, 6:00 A.M, East of Brightholt City**

Madeline sat entirely focused on the task at hand. Beside her sat her guild mate Francheska. She had a pale complexion and seemingly cool and calm hazel eyes. Like most days, she had her brunette hair in a ponytail to keep her troublesome bangs from impeding her vision. She was dressed in a loose black tank top and her off grey sports bra was just barely visible revealing her large bust and toned physique. She had on grey sweatpants with a large Z on the back pant leg, white running shoes and her knuckles were bandaged.

Francheska had no issues with wanting to complete a job without a hitch, but Madeline always took the intensity to another level. She had her eyes fixed on this singular route for the last half a day and Francheska was sure that she hadn't slept. Working together from time to time made her accustomed to Madeline's disposition. It also made it understandable that their perfect success rate with missions made them highly recommendable to the nearby village.

They had been informed that an illegal guild was regularly transporting wild animals through the nearby village called Kairos and they were using this route to accomplish this goal.

"We've been staked out on this route for the last day. It took almost no time to get here and now we've just been waiting in a bush by the roadside," said Francheska breaking the silence they had been in for the last few hours.

She waited another moment before continuing. "If you don't get some rest you'll be useless when something does happen."

Madeline quickly jumped to her feet and pointed out ahead of them. "The truck up ahead matches the description," she said.

The truck about to drive by was all white and was pulling a thirty foot trailer with white cloud designs all across it. Madeline looked to Francheska and said, "That certainly looks big enough to contain wild animals."

As it passed, Madeline formed a sphere around herself and through a quick jab, a large arm burst forward from the sphere and hit the trailer in its side knocking the truck off the road and upside down.

After a few moments two men crawled out of the truck and staggered to the feet. They were dressed in black cam soldier uniforms, but one of them had on a red beret and the other had on a blue beret. Both of their faces were covered by black masks only revealing their eyes.

"Who the hell are you? Do you know who you're messing with little girls?" asked the one in blue beret.

Still stammering to catch his breath, the one in red said "No, we can have some fun with them first. Then we'll fix the truck and the shipment."

He turned back to the women before him and began building a fire in his hands. He took his eyes off them for a moment to look at his flame. Only as he looked back up at them did he notice the two gigantic hands enclosing around him.

The flame was suffocated and a few moments later there was a snap and Madeline released the lifeless corpse. It fell to the ground and the man with the blue beret's face was held fear. He turned and made a run for the truck.

He was able to undo the latch on the back before he effortlessly swatted away by Madeline. He stumbled to his feet unsure of where he was and then fell to his knees. His eyes had a glossy look as he fought to stay conscious.

"You're lucky," said Francheska as she walked up to him. "We only need one of you alive for questioning."

She emphasized each word of her questions. "What are you shipping?" she asked.

There was no reply. So she pulled him to his feet and continued the questioning

"Who are you working for?" she asked more intensely.

He gasped for air and struggled to say "Re..gal..lia Corps"

"You ever heard of anything called Regalia Corps, Madeline?"

Madeline was inspecting the truck. The trailer was empty, but she was half-listening to the interrogation. "Yup. It's supposed to be a dark guild. But I wouldn't really count these two as mages," she said continuing her inspection.

The man let out a sharp gasp and began coughing up blood. Then a few moments later he stopped breathing.

"Ugh, you're too aggressive Madeline. I could've asked him a few more questions," said Francheska in disgust.

"Yeah. Sorry," said Madeline half interested. "Isn't it weird that there is no shipment?"

"What do you mean?" asked Francheska.

"Well, they were heading to town, so there is supposed to be some wild animal in the trailer, but there is nothing."

As she finished her statement she was knocked back across the road.

Where she stood there was a slight distortion. A large reptilian creature slowly de-camouflaged. It stood on its hind legs at around 10 feet tall and while it was currently a lime green color it had previously blended in well enough for Madeline and Francheska to not notice its presence.

Francheska was sure Madeline would be fine, so she prepared to fight the creature by herself.

She built up her magic and activated it as quickly as possible.

"Hell's calling: Spüren Sie die Feuer der Hölle auf euch!"

Her arms were slowly lined with pitch black markings. The aura she released slowly became more and more menacing. The fearsome creature before her acknowledged it and fell into a crouching position.

It lunged at where she stood and she jumped above it in a fraction of a second. She dove at where it had landed and it slithered out of the way just barely.

The ground cracked beneath her and she used her now monstrous strength to break loose a piece of the earth and hurl it at the beast.

The beast stood its ground and shattered it with its tail, causing debris to cloud its vision.

Francheska darted towards him and connected a fierce punch with its head, knocking it off its front legs for a moment.

The creature let out a roar and stood on its hind legs again.

Then it was silenced by a terrifying magical pressure across the road. "You messed up. I might have let you spar for a bit," said Francheska to the confused creature.

The next sound they both heard was Madeline screaming "Janus".

The creature attempted to quickly blend in with its surroundings. As half of its body finished its camo, a giant red arm holding Janus pierced its torso.

Madeline had a crazed look in her eyes and a bit of blood coming out of split lip. She used her giant arms to hook Janus into the creature's torso. She stood inside her sphere and lifted her arm in the air, the giant arm copying her as she did so. The creature hung pierced in the air. Then she motioned for the arm to punch the ground continuously.

For the next few moments, the giant reptile's body collided with the ground non-stop. Then it was lifeless. She released her magic and reclaimed Janus from its corpse.

"You've gotta learn not to hold a grudge," said Francheska as she rolled her eyes.

* * *

**October 19, X791, 7:00 A.M, Outside Brightholt City Gates**

"I can't believe it took us two days to get back here," said Tally as Brightholt finally came into view.

"I can't believe you got your clothes dirty since this morning Tally," said Aoba as she gripped her arm that was currently in a make shift sling. The idea of Tally running around with even a speck of dirt made her cringe, but with her arm hurt there was nothing she could do.

At the head of their group was a depressed Rau. "I can't believe we lost," he admitted.

Sai beating them seemed to hurt him the most as he was supposed to be the closest to him in strength. "Is he really that far ahead of me?" Rau added as he turned back to the pair of girls.

Neither of them was listening. He looked over at Tally who had been playfully skipping along for the majority of the journey. "And tell me again how you're fine?" he asked as confusion spread across his face. For the most part he only suffered a few bruises, but Aoba's arm seemed to be fractured and Tally was now unharmed.

Tally stopped to think. "Well," she said as scratched her head. "It takes some time to prepare, but I can heal myself with my magic," said Tally.

His face contorted from disbelief. "You can heal yourself? With Djinn-Slayer Magic? But you can't heal other people?" He asked, pausing a bit between each question.

"Oh, Rau. Don't worry about something as pointless as that," said Aoba as she elbowed him with her good arm. "If Tally could have healed us, she would have."

Tally had been lost in her thoughts about how the spell worked and couldn't see any particular way for it to work on them. She snapped back from her thoughts. "Yeah. Honest," she said while she shook her head in agreement with Aoba. "I wish I could help you both."

As she finished her statement they passed the Northern gates of Brightholt City into Eternal Knight Territory and immediately heard Master Seigfreid's voice echoing around them.

"And what, pray tell, took you all so long to come back?" Master Seigfreid's voice called out to them from some remote location.

The three mages were spinning in circles looking for him, until they caught a glimpse of him hovering down to them in his signature sitting position. He landed in front of them.

"Master!" yelled Tally as she jumped up to the miniature old man and pulled him into a hug.

"You're up early, Master Seigfreid," said Rau as he took in the sunless Brightholt City.

"Most parents usually wait up for their children when they don't come back home Rau. Jade is waiting for you. He's at the new guild h…" But he stopped talking when he peeked through closed eyes at a wide-eyed Rau taking in the gigantic tree that stood where he figured his home once was.

"Yes. Sir," he managed to say as he slowly walked off with his shock ridden expression.

Master Seigfreid turned back to his mages and prepared to scold them. He shook Tally loose, but withheld his prepared speech when he saw Aoba's state. "Was it Sai?" he asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Yea, but I'm fine master. Nothing to worry about," responded Aoba playfully.

Before she knew it, she was floating in the air. Beside her was Tally cheering. "Yeah, we're going for a ride Aoba," she cheered.

Aoba looked around for Master Seigfreid so she could plead her case. "Master, I'm fine really," she said as her eyes locked onto the tiny man floating them towards the guild.

"I don't remember asking if you all were fine," he said as he floated behind them. "I'll get you both fixed up and then you'll get some rest."

They entered the guild hall and he sat them down on the bar stools by the currently empty bar. He floated up to the second floor and over to the room adjacent to Adrienne's. He knocked on the door very slightly and when it opened, he could be heard whispering to its inhabitant.

"Okay, so we'll see you in a moment," he said when he finished speaking. Then he floated back down and sat with Aoba and Tally.

"I'm sorry it turned out like this," he said after a few moments of silence. "I didn't think it would have turned into a brawl like that, but Sai got back last night boasting about how he had beaten all of you."

He walked over to Aoba and Tally and the old man seemed to be fighting back sadness in his voice when he said "I truly don't like sending anyone on the mayor's missions because of his rules." He hung his head and added "The fact that other guilds can fight each other to finish the mission first is too dangerous."

Tally patted the bald man on the head and said in an equally depressed voice "Master. It's okay. We're fine."

Before anyone could say anything more, a young girl came down the stairs. She was a bit taller than Tally and stood at no more than five feet. Her eyes were a bright honey-green shade and they were framed by long thick eyelashes and black rectangular glasses. Her golden brown hair cascaded down her to the center of her back leaving her bangs to outline her slightly round face. Her skin was a pale color that seemed to be warm. She was obviously flustered at having had to get dressed so early, as she was still putting the finishing touches on her outfit as she descended the stairs. Her white boots had blue trim and she wore a white sleeveless turtleneck with little water droplets designs. As she finished adjusting it, she slipped on her white elbow length satin gloves.

When she approached Master Seigfreid and the girls she was yawning and taking in their condition.

"Oh wow," she managed between a yawn. "You were right to come get me, Master Seigfreid. Aoba's pretty banged up."

He shook his head as Aoba stared at the ground embarrassed at her state and Tally welcomed their fellow mage.

"Good Morning Korianne!" She yelled loud enough for the whole guild to hear. Then when she realized her volume and everyone's expression she half whispered "Sorry. Good morning, Korianne!"

Everyone else shook their head and Korianne inspected Aoba's arm. She moved it slightly and when Aoba winced at the little movement Korianne said. "Yup, it's definitely fractured."

She took a deep breath and focused her magic into her hands.

"Healing Mist," she said quietly. And the air focused around Aoba's arm took on a blue tint.

Aoba felt a slight sting and then slowly the tension in her arm released. When the mist cleared, she stretched her arm.

"Hey, you're getting pretty good at this Korianne," said Aoba as she pulled the smaller woman into a hug.

"Okay then!" yelled Master Seigfreid as he jumped excitedly up and down, the mere excitement infecting Tally and causing her to jump up and down instinctively. As he jumped he said, "Thanks for your help Korianne. Now you two have to get some rest. You've got a tag match in a few days and you're gonna want to be at a 100%"

They ran off towards the steps and Korianne walked over to the bar and pulled out one of her favorite books and began reading.

As Master Seigfreid headed to his office he thanked her once more. "Thanks again Korianne," he said.

"Anytime Master Seigfreid," she responded as she flipped the page.

* * *

**October 19, X791, 9:00 A.M, Rosca's Apartment in the Square**

Rosca had already been awake for a few hours. He finished his morning training session and had already showered and prepared for the day. His thought process tended to be centered on training early so he had more time for mischief later on.

He sat in his apartment which consisted of the entire top floor and relaxed for a moment. He had grown tired of the current decorum and was considering changing it. The large room was currently a creamy beige color. Against one wall was a large king size bed with scarlet red sheets. The bed frame was a dark mahogany. He was seated in a cushiony single recliner seat adjacent to the bed and across from his were several photographs of him or rather his mask making different faces. The wall to his left had a built in armoire that held his clothing. It also held the only reasonable entrance to the room as Rosca had the wall to the right taken out and entirely replaced with a window. Just before the window was a spiral staircase that led to the roof. He had a small pool built into the roof for personal use and though his many, many changes to the room would normally be impossible, he had amassed enough wealth from his winnings to cut through most red tape.

But in truth, he had amenities like this just for the sole purpose of having them. They rarely brought him any comfort because only two things truly entertained him anymore. Toying with people and fighting with people. For most people this was the combination of a sociopath, but he had managed to find the right balance. He was just crazy enough to be loved and hated at the same time.

Still, he was bored out of his mind. There were only a few people who would give him a challenge in the coliseum and he didn't feel like fighting them. Then an idea hit him and he jumped to his feet excitedly.

"I'll go play with the little ones," he said.

He made his way down to the square and over towards his guild hall and as he walked towards the door another mage burst forward and ran straight into him.

He looked down at the lady currently stumbling back from him.

"Where are you in a rush to, Marionette?" he asked the young lady.

At the sound of her full name she shot him a glare. Her eyes seemed to be a dark violet shade of purple, but were almost unnatural in appearance. She had shoulder length snow-white hair that fell in tresses that framed her face. Her skin was pale white and like her face was flawless. She had modest curves. Her beauty made her appear to have been sculpted from marble. Her outfit was covered by the trademark Scarlet Phantom's blood red cloak.

"Rosca, I've told you countless times to address me as only Mary. Why do you insist on using my full name?" she said with a slight hint of frustration.

His mask broke into a coy grin and he said, "It seems to irritate you so much. I can't help myself."

She balled her fists in rage and Rosca caught sight of this.

"Oh, are you mad my little play thing?" he asked as he brushed her cheek with his hand. Keeping his hand there he said "So cold. It's as if it's not even..." but he was cut off Mistress Narissa's sudden appearance.

"Go now, Mary," She said coldly never breaking eye contact with Rosca. Mary rushed off immediately leaving them behind.

"Good day, Madam," said Rosca playfully. "Where might you be sending one of my favorite guild members so early this morning?"

"Stop it Rosca," said Narissa as she turned from him and walked back into the guild. "You and I both know you're only here because you're bored."

He looked around at the guild hall as he walked in. Rosca had only moved out because the design bored him, but seeing it again made him feel a bit nostalgic. The dark red tatami-matted floors blended quite nicely with the light peach walls. The guild was designed to resemble an old ryokan inn and as such all of the doors on the first floor were sliding doors. The stairs to the second floor were a simple peach color as well. Towards the back of the guild he could see the bar and beyond that was a large glass sliding door that opened out into a koi pond.

She turned back to him now that they were in the center of the guild. "If you must know, I've sent her to locate Francheska and Madeline."

He thought about it for a long time as if he couldn't remember who those names belonged to.

"Ah yes. I did hear that the ruins expert made it to number 8 in the coliseum," he said as he figured out the first name. "You think I'll get to fight her?" he quickly added in all seriousness.

She shot him a cold look and he moved on.

"Madeline isn't here?" he repeated as endless possibilities of different activities floated into his mind. "What about the rest of your special 3 mages?" he said excitedly hoping they would be gone and he would have free reign in the guild hall.

As if on cue, Sai appeared. "Don't tell me you're feeling left out, Rosca?" asked Sai as he hopped the balcony from the second floor and landed beside Rosca's right side. "You know, you could always lend a hand if you're feeling lonely," he teased.

All of Rosca's excitement vanished as he realized what was sure to follow Sai's entrance. There was a loud thud to his left and he rolled his eyes knowing full well who would be there once he turned around.

To his left now stood a woman who was almost a foot shorter than Sai. Her hair trailed down to her waist in a spiked princess cut. It was blood red and had a single streak of white to the left of her heart-shaped face. She had a cocky grin plastered across her face and behind it sharp fangs could be seen. She was naturally intimidating to most, but just to put them off center a bit more she wore a childish sundress that tapered down to her thighs. It was black with white highlights and around her neck she wore a black collar with white lotus spirals.

"Welcome back, Rosca," she said barely acknowledging his presence. "How nice of our guild's strongest member to show up."

"Hmm. You still upset about being second best, Cerise?" asked Rosca.

"Yea, second best, but she can't even beat Lucia," snickered Sai.

Rosca turned to him also. "You take a lot of pride in being sixth best Sai?" he asked half serious.

Sai's face went blank and Cerise let a small chuckle as Rosca turned back to Master Narissa. He had a bored look on his face. "I see your other two favorite kill joys are here" said Rosca. "I'll be taking my leave before they bore me to death." He turned from and began walking away.

"Don't you want to see what Sai brought back the other day?" asked Narissa coyly as she finished hatching a scheme.

Rosca kept walking away. "I doubt it's anything interesting," he said as he waved them off.

"He brought back a mage," said Narissa.

Rosca stopped in his tracks. He turned his head to face them and he now wore a devilish smile. "A new toy?" he asked curiously.

Narissa smiled back knowing that she was going to be able to kill two birds with one stone. Getting Rosca to be helpful and getting information from the boy that Sai had brought back.

She shook her head and began to explain. "Sai brought back a young man from a mission the other day. He supposedly only spoke once and since then he hasn't said a word. We haven't been able to get any information out of him and as he was the cause for the disturbance in the ruins to the North we can't allow him to roam freely."

Narissa walked to the glass sliding door towards the back and said "He's currently handcuffed in the back by the pond."

She had peaked his curiosity. He walked back to the mages and asked "Well is anyone going to tell me what he said?"

"His name," answered Sai. "He said his name was Aeden Rhythmia."

Rosca burst into laughter and then immediately got frighteningly quiet. "Give me a minute. I'll get him to talk," he said as he exited towards the koi pond.

* * *

**October 20, X791, 12:00 P.M, Eternal Knight's Training Ground**

Master Seigfreid stood in the middle of the Eternal Knight training grounds. On his left stood Tally and Aoba. Most of the guild was outside, excited to watch the training session.

Tag-team matches were a new concept as far as the coliseum was concerned. It employed more than just a show of brute strength. The participants had to be clever and creative to win a match.

The makeshift stands encircled the arena. The arena was certainly smaller than the coliseum and since it was planted firmly in the ground, the flooring was just dirt and grass that had been patted down after years of mage training. On either side of the arena was a thirty foot pole.

Adrienne and Alice filed into the stands alongside some of their guild mates and took their seats.

"Where's Lucia?" asked Adrienne. She was asking Alice, but a girl Adrienne had never met before answered for her.

"She's got some business to take care of today," said the girl.

She was fit and her skin was tanned. Her eyes almond shaped which made her amber colored eyes seem warm. Her inky black hair was cut just above her shoulders in a princess style and at the right angle, you could see a scar that seemed to dart across her throat. She had on thin, silver mesh armor under a long white tunic. On the tunic, a jade green symbol comprised of chains was stitched onto the hem, neck, sleeves. On her back was a larger version of the symbol which made it clearer to see. It was an x with each prong on the right side curved inwards like fangs.

She realized that Adrienne was staring at her and said "Oh. My apologies, I don't believe we've met." She extended her hand to Adrienne who responded similarly. "My name is Christina Vaunt. I've been busy lately, so I haven't gotten to introduce myself."

Adrienne shook off her confusion and introduced herself.

"Sorry, I'm Adrienne. It's just… you're really pretty," she said bluntly.

Alice burst in laughter as Christina's face turned red.

Master Seigfried's voice boomed across the training grounds again now. "Is there anyone who would like to volunteer for Aoba and Tally's Tag-Team practice?" he asked. "They've got a match coming up and I want to make sure they're ready."

Almost immediately a young guy jumped from the stands to the side opposite Tally and Aoba.

From across the field Tally could be heard. "Hi, Rory!" she screamed to ensure that her voice would reach him and the rest of Northern Brightholt.

The young man stood a little under five and a half feet tall. He had a mop of dark brown hair and green eyes. His pale skin was flawless except for the freckles over the bridge of his nose and scars along his arms and neck. He wore a brown, fur-lined hooded jacket over an orange t-shirt, along with brown trousers and dark green shoes.

"Hi, Tally!" he yelled back just as loud and then quickly grew silent from embarrassment when he realized everyone was watching him.

"Is there anyone else who is willing to help out today?" asked Master Seigfreid.

Adrienne looked around and when she was sure that no one would, she stood up to volunteer.

As she stood though, the doors to the guild burst open and a guy around her age walked out and took his place alongside Rory.

"Ahh, thank you, Vincent and Rory," said Master Seigfreid as he floated over to them.

The man master Seigfreid called Vincent was much larger than his combatants. He stood over six feet tall and possessed the physique necessary to intimidate his enemies. He was slightly tanned and his eyes were an icy blue color. His hair was a spiky black mess and on his right arm was a birthmark that resembled a pyramid of some sort. He wore a sky blue shirt under a dark blue hooded coat. Loose gray pants held up by a black belt and black laced boots. He usually kept the pants tucked inside the boots and on his left hand's middle finger he wore a silver ring.

"Who is that?" asked Adrienne as she took her seat again.

"That's Vincent Reyes. He's a sweetheart. He's so sensitive, but he tends to get embarrassed at the slightest thing," said Alice. "Oh, he's also ranked eleventh in the coliseum."

"Eleventh?!" asked Adrienne. "Isn't he way stronger than all of them?"

"Come on Adrienne," said Alice as she shook her head. "If this was a match of brute strength, then the master certainly wouldn't have allowed it."

"No problem Master," said Vincent. "So what are the rules today?"

Master Seigfreid returned to the center of the training grounds and his voice amplified again.

He pulled two flags out of his pocket. One black and one white. "The winner will be decided by whoever can place their flag on the opposing team's pole."

He floated over to Tally and Aoba and gave them the black flag and then gave the white flag to Vincent and Rory.

He flew towards the stands where his guild sat and yelled, "Begin!"

Vincent had the flag and shot off towards the post.

On his left Tally shot past him with her own flag, never glancing his way. He turned to stop her, but was met with a right hook from Aoba's sharpened sleeve. He got back up to his feet and was met with a barrage of punches. The first few caught him off guard, but eventually he realized he could keep up with her speed. He caught both of her arms and threw her into the air.

Then he jumped up towards the top of the pole. As he got close to it, his whole body was entangled in a web of strings.

"Shear!" yelled Aoba as the strings tightened. Then using her momentum from her descent she pulled the strings and sent him crashing down towards the ground.

Tally had been engaged in combat with Rory and his drakes since she reached their side of the arena.

Rory's magic allowed him to summon drakes and at times channel their magic.

Currently he had a drake named Sylvan and a drake named Palentir summoned.

They were both no more than the size of an average dog, but the size granted them a dexterity that was dangerous in battle. They resembled dragons. Sylvan had sandy brown scales with light green streaks, and pink eyes and Palentir had silver scales with blue spots and golden eyes.

Rory himself was channeling another drake named Halcyon which game him his greatest close combat offense.

"Howling claw!" he yelled as he slashed at Tally and three blades of wind sliced at her.

He kept up the barrage and she dodged them all easily until the drakes began a combination attack to drive her back.

Palentir created a shield and tried to ram her. Sylvan was attempting direct attacks.

Tally dodged the shield and was met with Sylvan tackling her.

She stood her ground and caught hold of it.

She hit it with her Violet Djinn Slayer's Wing and the punch incapacitated it.

She darted towards the pole, but Rory was too concerned with Sylvan's condition to stop her.

Palentir flew in front of her and blocked her path.

She gathered the magic within her and unleashed "Violet Djinn Slayer's Hymn!" she yelled and the drake was blasted aside.

The confrontation bought Rory a few seconds to compose himself and launched an attack at Tally.

He quickly built up his magic used "Whirlwind Cleaver!"

A fierce wind began slicing at Tally. She tried to use her own breath attack, but was caught up in the wind and sent flying into the empty stands across the arena.

Vincent had already returned to the offensive and Aoba was trying her best to keep him at bay and buy time for Tally to secure their flag.

He built up his magic. "Light Devil's Rage!" he roared unleashing a torrent of light magic at her.

This was the third attempt to hit her with this spell. Each use would be dodged by Aoba and followed up with him making a jump for the top of the pole. Then she'd yank him back down.

She was getting tired and eventually he'd hit her. She needed to end this now. An idea occurred to Aoba.

"Sorry Vincent!" she yelled out to him. "I'm gonna end this now."

She ran forward and the devil slayer readied himself. He was in shock since he never figured that she'd try and fight him directly.

As she got close to him, her movements seemed to triple and in an instant she was behind him.

He looked over his shoulder in shock, and then smiled after checking himself and finding he was uninjured.

"You scared me for a moment Aoba, I almost…" But he stopped as every thread in his outfit came undone and he was in nothing, but his underwear.

She pointed her finger at him and smiled. "Striptease, Vincent."

The young man's face went red and he kneeled to the ground to hide himself and scrape up the threads to his clothes.

"Oh, come one Aoba! I thought there was a rule against that!" he yelled.

"Not in a tag- match," she sang.

"Couture de Affûtée"

Her clothes sharpened again and she nailed him with an uppercut, knocking him unconscious.

She took their flag and then ran to Tally's aid.

Tally had returned to the battlefield and was preparing to go toe to toe with Rory again.

As he prepared to use another spell, Aoba appeared and entangled him in her threads.

"Go place the flag Tally! I've got him!" she yelled as she struggled to hold him in place.

Tally jumped up to the top of the pole and placed the flag.

"We won Aoba!" she cheered as she jumped down.

"Aoba and Tally win!" declared Master Seigfreid. "Vincent and Rory, good try today."

The doors to the guild opened again and a tall man with tan skin ran out. He was wearing black jeans and boots, but was currently shirtless. He had a muscular physique, but his body was covered in scars. His black hair was in a short pony tail and his eyes were a dark brown.

"Master," he said sternly. "The coliseum sent out a blank match invitation."

"Do you want to participate, Marco?" asked Master Seigfreid.

Everyone from the guild had already run over to the group on the grounds.

"What's a blank match invitation?" asked Adrienne.

"Sometimes the coliseum has to cancel a match and to replace it, they send out these invitations in secret to four mages. If two people accept then, the match is set. The catch is, that no knows who their opponent is until they show up," answered Alice.

"Why is that a bad thing?" asked Adrienne.

"Well, you could accept and then fight someone entirely out of your league," answered Christina.

"I'll be accepting it. It'll be a good warm up for my match against Javier," said Marco.

* * *

**October 20, X791, 2:00 P.M, Nova Eos Tree Hall**

Master Jade was sitting at a table with Junjo, Shaw, Rau, and Javier.

"You all know who your opponents are. So there'll be no surprises," said Master Jade. "But I think you should all make an effort to visit the coliseum. You never know when your opponent might be in a match and it'll give you a chance to scout them a bit better."

"Right, I heard there was supposed to be a match today," said Junjo. "Maybe we'll get lucky and one of our match ups will be having a match."

The group bid Master Jade good bye, got up to leave and headed towards the coliseum.

"You know what? You're right, Junjo. Maybe we'll get lucky and you'll get to see your match up in a fight today. It'll probably do you some good," said Javier before he whispered, "Since you lost to Alice."

The group broke out into laughter.

"Oh come one guys," said Junjo fighting back his own laughter. "Did you see that thing? Who would have thought someone so tiny and cute would have something so terrifying behind them?"

"Literally, everyone who has ever paid attention to her fights would know, Javier." Added Rau.

"Yeah, Yeah. She probably would have beat me even if I did know," said Junjo. "How could anyone hit a lady?" he asked between laughs.

* * *

**October 20, X791, 2:30 P.M, Coliseum Main Arena**

The Lacrima Referee was announcing mages as Javier, Shaw, Rau, and Junjo took their seats.

"We have one participant who decided to decline," said the referee. "Today's match will only be a triple threat."

"From the Scarlet Phantoms, we have Number 18, Fuyumi Tanaka!" it roared as she entered wearing her usual tutu and took her place.

"That's two already, no chance that any of the top ten show up for this fight," said Junjo.

"Also from the Scarlet Phantoms, we have Number 10, Sou Tsubaki!"

The group of mages burst out in laughter. "You better be taking notes, Junjo!" they yelled over the crowd.

Sou Tsubaki was tall, well-built young man with fairly light skin. He had Spiky black hair, and dull blue eyes. He wore a black, leather jacket that had a fur collar and white V-neck underneath. He had on dark blue, denim jeans that were held up by a simple brown belt, with a silver chain attached from the belt to his back pocket. He wore a silver ring, a silver chain with a black skull and black shoes.

"Lastly, from the Eternal Knights, we have Number 7, Marco Seifer."

The crowd went silent for a brief second and then erupted again.

Marco walked into the arena having now donned a blue short-sleeved shirt.

The Nova Eos group looked at Javier who seemed to have taken a new interest in the match.

The referee began reciting the rules.

"There is a ten minute time-limit, but the last mage standing wins," he said loud enough for everyone to hear.

Down in the arena Marco was trying to have a conversation with Sou.

"How are you, Sou?" ask Marco. He leaned a bit to his left and looked at the young girl wearing a tutu behind Sou. "And how are you, Fuyumi?" he quickly added.

When neither of them answered he asked "So is this going to be a handicap match?" asked Marco earnestly.

At that Fuyumi jumped out and snapped at him. "Are you saying that the Scarlet Phantoms have to resort to such a low down method to win this fight?" she shot out. "You'll be done away with soon enough and then Sou and I will have our own match."

"Is that a yes?" Marco asked, confused.

"Enough!" yelled Sou. "Begin the match referee."

"You May Begin!" shouted the referee as he darted into the air.

"Shadow-Make: Wolf Pack," said Sou as he molded several wolves into creation.

The wolves darted towards Marco and he jumped backwards to avoid their initial attacks.

As he landed he found himself not in the arena, but in a forest seemingly floating in the air. In the distance he could hear Fuyumi's voice saying "Twisted Wonderland!"

He was trapped in an illusion. Slowly multiple gashes appeared on his body as the wolves that he could no longer see or hear tore into him.

"Shadow Make: Gatling Gun!" yelled Sou as he complete the formation of miniature gun and began firing bullets of shadow at Marco.

Up in the stands, the Nova Eos mages commented on the fight.

"This is sad," said Rau. "How is Marco outclassed by Fuyumi so easily?"

"That's just it," said Javier who was presently confused. "If there was one person this shouldn't work on it, it should be Marco."

They watched on as Marco stood in the arena and took blow after blow.

"Ha!" teased Fuyumi. "If that's how strong he is, then him being number 7 must be a fluke!"

"No Fuyumi, he's messing with us," said Sou. "Get serious already Marco!"

"You want me to get serious Sou!?" yelled Marco.

"What!?" yelled Fuyumi. "Did he just answer you? There's no way he can hear you from within my illusion."

"I didn't want to hurt Fuyumi's feelings since she's just a kid, but I'll get serious," said Marco.

He closed his eyes and knelt to the ground, touching the ground in front of him. For a moment he could feel his pulse throughout the arena, he could hear everyone's heartbeat and every breath they were taking and then he whispered.

"Sound Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Echo Night."

He was behind Fuyumi in an instant and very quickly and swiftly he hit her neck to knock her unconscious.

Sou turned around and continued firing shadow bullets, which Marco mostly dodged. Several shots managed to him as he put some distance between he and Sou.

Sou directed his wolves at Marco and then disappeared into the shadows beneath him.

As the wolves converged on him, Marco built up his energy and released it in a roar.

"Sound Dragon Slayer's Roar!" he yelled. With his mouth as the epicenter the air pulsated violently around him and the wolves dematerialized.

Sou fell out of his shadow and into the arena again.

"Are you ready Sou?" asked Marco as he walked towards Sou. "I think I let you get a few too many hits in," he said looking at his wounds.

He built up his magic quickly and released a simple spell.

"Sound Dragon Slayer's Echo Punch!"

The punched connected with Sou's jaw, but he felt the reverberations throughout his entire body.

The referee came down and examined the two Scarlet Phantom Mages.

"The Winner is Number 7, Marco Seifer!" he yelled.

"I thought I was supposed to take notes," said Junjo with a straight face as he watched Javier's jaw hit the floor.

"All I saw was a preview for your match, Javier," Junjo managed to tease before joining in on Shaw and Rau's laughter.

* * *

**October 20, X791, 2:30 P.M, East of Brightholt**

Mary had been traveling non-stop since she left the guild and just over the hill ahead of her, she could see Francheska and Madeline walking back.

She reached them and she was out of breath.

"Madeline… Francheska, Mistress Narissa wants you to return immediately," she said as she caught for air.

Both women shot off immediately leaving Mary behind. Mary realized she was left alone and ran to catch up to them.

When she finally managed to fall in line with them she asked "Don't you want to know why she called you back?"

"I figured you'd tell us on the way, but what's imperative is that we return," said Madeline.

"Right," said Mary. "Well, Sai finished his mission in the ruins up north and returned with the culprit for its disturbance."

"Get to the point Mary," said Francheska coldly.

"Of course," said Mary. "The prisoner has only said his name so far. He's remained quiet since. He says his name is Aeden Rhythmia."

Francheska stopped running first. Then Mary and Madeline doubled back to see why she stopped.

"Francheska. We have to move fast. Why would you stop?"

Francheska was pale, but she shook off the feeling she had in her gut and broke off at even greater speed towards Brightholt City.

They ran for hours until they found themselves on the Scarlet cobblestone path leading up to the guild.

Francheska burst into the guild first. "Where is he?" she asked out of breath. She got a few confused nods, from her guild members before Master Narissa came inside from the koi pond.

"Francheska Rythmia. I do believe I have someone you'd like to see," said Master Narissa. "He's been a much better house guest since he and Rosca began talking."

Francheska didn't care. She knew what those words meant, but was too wrapped up in her own thoughts to care. She pushed past her Master and into the back of the guild and saw him.

She tried to speak, but couldn't form any words as her tears began pouring down. She ran past Rosca and straight at Aeden punching him as she tackled him from his seat into a hug.

He was too in shock to speak either and began crying also.

Rosca turned to take his leave and stopped at Master Narissa. "Isn't it nice when families get along?"

* * *

**Author Note:**

_**Special Thanks:**_

Special thanks to Raiyane

Special Thanks to each and every one of you reading. I've been at this for a little over a month and it's been enjoyable because of you all.

The coliseum match was a courtesy of Barrett M107. So thank you to him as well.

**How's it going?**

I want you all to be completely honest with me about anything that comes to mind. If you have an idea or a critique or I'm messing up your character, please let me know and we'll work on it.

If you ever find yourself curious about when a chapter is going to be released, the tentative date will be on my profile.

Favorite Fight so far anybody?

So when I started writing this story, I picked out a few numbers. Each number corresponds to a review number. The first number on that list was 31 and Barrett M107 gave the 31st review. So he got to choose from a few prizes. There's a few of these numbers picked out. So if you wind up landing on one, you'll also get an in-story prize.

So big news I guess. While this arc is still not finished, on my profile are now 3 possible arcs and there descriptions. I would like you all to vote in a poll to decide which arc should come next after this arc finishes. However, before I put that poll up, there will be a poll that holds some relevance to the whole story. That'll be up today and be closed in a about a day, so your vote on that one is important. When that closes, the poll for the next arc will open. That'll stay open for a while so you can just check back in I guess.

I realize there was some confusion because of a mistake I made. This arc isn't over it's got a few more chapters left. If that affects your vote in some way PM me about it.

Also, if you didn't know this arc is called "Welcome to Brightholt". So welcome…

_**Entirely Unrelated**_

I've been thinking about starting a side fic, but I want your opinions on it. Please be completely honest, I won't be offended in anyway. Let me know if you think I should do something entirely different or a new Fairy Tail story or if you think I should never write another story after Brightholt Chronicles. I swear I won't take offense. I just want to gauge who'd be interested in another story.

**S-class openings update:**

S-class positions are closed

**OC Submissions:**

All Eternal Knight Positions are closed. I'll also only accept a few more mages for both Nova Eos and Scarlet Phantom. After that, every submission will be a mage joining the guild at a later point in the story.

I'd prefer to get submissions from people who never submitted before. But don't be afraid to send me an OC if you come up with one.

**Special Submission:**

**Djinn Slayer**

I'll be closing submissions for Djinn slayers the end of 1/18. If you need the information or rules for it message me. The winner will get messaged shortly after.


	6. Scarlet Pride

**Author Note**

I just wanted to say how grateful I am to all of you reading this. Thank you for the support.

* * *

**October 22, X791, 9:30 P.M, Town Square**

The citizens of Brightholt stared quietly as a procession of mages clothed in red cloaks proceeded through the square and towards the coliseum. There was a sense of awe and fear as the people of Brightholt watched, what appeared to be the entire guild, make its way through the square. Scarlet Phantom prided itself on being superior to its counterparts and as such, their loss earlier in the week required a show of strength. Master Narissa had prepared the coliseum's main event tonight as a means of reminding Brightholt of their strength.

The entire guild had been on their best behavior as a means of avoiding Master Narissa's wrath. She stood at the helm of the procession and while it wasn't rare for her to be seen at the coliseum watching her mages, today was a special day. Two Scarlet Phantom mages were going to be competing in a one on one match as a gesture from the guild to the town.

Behind her, marched a quiet Madeline. "Mistress Narissa?" asked Madeline with curiosity lacing her voice. "Why doesn't Francheska have to be at the coliseum tonight?"

Without stopping Narissa said, "She and her brother were only just reunited. I won't be asking much of her for the time being."

Her words shocked the Scarlet Phantom mages around her and when she realized their surprise she turned to them. "What!" she yelled.

"Nothing, madam," said Madeline.

The guild entered the coliseum and took their place in the stands around the main arena. Across the arena in another set of stands sat a few members of the Eternal Knights. Aoba and Tally sat in a row in front of Alice who sat between Marco and Adrienne.

"Tell me again why we came to see a fight between two Scarlet Phantom mages," said Aoba pausing between every few words to yawn.

"We were gone for so long, I thought it might be fun to watch a match," responded Tally. "Plus, Marco said it'd be a good idea to watch these two. Isn't that right Marco?" asked Tally as she turned to Marco.

Before he could speak Alice answered for him. "If what I heard is true, then everyone who isn't S-class should be interested in this fight."

"Really! How come?" asked Adrienne excitedly, before she was interrupted by the lacrima referee coming down to the arena.

"Good evening!" His voice boomed. "Tonight will be an exhibition match. It was sanctioned entirely by Scarlet Phantom. Both fighters are also from Scarlet Phantom. Some last minute inspections are being done on the arena, but the fight will begin momentarily."

"Both fighters are from the same guild," said Adrienne confused. "I don't understand. Who does that help?"

Marco thought for a moment. "It helps Scarlet Phantom. It's just another way of Master Narissa displaying her guild's strength. If she makes a close pairing for the match, then the fight will have to be intense and the she'll pull more followers."

The four girls sat dumbstruck.

"What?" asked Marco as he struggled not to break into a smile. "It's just a guess."

The referee returned to the arena. "We're ready to begin!" he yelled causing the crowd to hush instantly.

The arena elevator opened up and began rising; on its platform stood a man with short spiky brown hair. He was tall and above his right eye was the Scarlet Phantom mark. The man wore a black t shirt and khaki pants. He had on a dark red overcoat that came down around his knees. His sneakers were red and white and on his waist was a sheath that held both of his swords.

The referee held his right hand up to introduce the man. His voice boomed through the arena once more. "Number 13, Achilles Nexus!"

The crowd went wild.

"That's impressive," yelled Adrienne as she competed with the crowd. "He must be pretty strong."

"Yup!" yelled Aoba. "As a matter of fact, if he made it to thirteen this cycle, then he would be the strongest mage who wasn't S-class."

The other elevator opened up and Achilles' opponent came out of the ground.

She was a young woman. She stood almost a foot shorter than Achilles around five and a half feet tall. Her waist and frame were small, but her slim build gave her the appearance of modest curves. Her complexion was fair and she had a kind of eccentric beauty that's allure was unavoidable. She had short black hair with blond bangs that framed her face. A single black lock broke through on the right. Behind her bangs were large dark blue eyes whose gaze seemed to pierce through her opponent. From afar, two small silver hoop earrings could be seen her left ear. She was wearing a rusty red, sleeveless shirt. There was a large, faded Scarlet Phantoms symbol on the bottom left of the front. On top of that she wore a black jean jacket that had the sleeves ripped off and only fell past her chest and a pair of tan jeans that have a few tears in. She had on black canvas shoes, a fingerless glove on her right hand and an arm sleeve covering her left elbow.

"Camryn Xanthia!" announced the referee.

"Wait, did he forget her rank?" asked Adrienne back in the stands.

"Nope," said Tally with a huge grin on her face. "Cammie is usually busy helping her mom in their family store so she doesn't compete too often." She placed a finger over her lips as she thought a bit more on the topic. "Usually she's just outside of the top ten, but she probably missed too many fights for this cycle."

"So unofficially, this is a match between the strongest non S-class mages," added Alice.

The referee completed all of the match preparations and announced that tonight's arena would be Earth element based. The arena began to shift and simple pillars of rock and earth broke free from the ground throughout the arena. They stood a little over 10 feet high, but there were enough to litter the entire battlefield.

The referee shot into the air and yelled, "Begin!"

The arena shook as both mages clashed immediately.

They retreated when neither gained ground. Achilles drew his swords in each hand and behind Camryn a circular glyph took shape.

"Glyph Magic: Load!" she yelled as 30 charges encircled the glyph.

"What type of magic is that?" asked Adrienne.

"Camryn charges pure magic into those thirty ticks around the glyph," said Marco. "Then she uses them for a bunch of different attacks."

Camryn took a look at the pillars around her and then burst out in laughter. "Hey, Achilles!" she yelled across the arena. "They didn't really do either of us a favor with the arena tonight."

He shook his head. "Nope, I was just thinking the same thing. But unfortunately for you, I don't see this hindering me much."

"Fair enough!" she yelled back. "Glyph Magic: Energy Salvo!"

The 30 charges began reverberating and then the glyph disappeared as one by one they shot off at Achilles.

He darted to his left through a row of pillars and the charges veered towards him. As they homed in, he cut corners around pillars to force the charges to collide with anything but him. From behind him, Achilles could hear minor explosions as the charges collided.

The homing charges forced him to stay mobile and lose sight of his opponent. But as he weaved his way through the pillars, he could hear Camryn charge again.

"Glyph Magic: Load!" She slid out from behind a pillar and above her right arm floated the glyph once more. "Glyph Magic: Burst Strike!" she shouted as aimed a punch for Achilles.

Without losing any speed, he ducked under the punch and slid past Camryn sending her target-less punch into a pillar.

He turned to face her now and his magic flowed into his swords. "Bullet Hell!" he said as he began stabbing the air.

Each stab sent off magic shockwave bullets at Camryn.

Now on the defensive she darted through the pillars for cover.

"You know better Camryn!" yelled Achilles. "Cutting Wave!"

The energy built up around his swords once more and then he slashed with each of them. The wave cut down pillar after pillar as it made its way towards where Camryn might have been.

"Glyph Magic: Glyph Shot!" 15 tick marks converged into a single blast and then shot off at tremendous speed. It collided with the wave in the center and both spells canceled each other out.

Camryn took note of the ten charges currently loaded as she scanned the arena for Achilles, then from above her she heard him.

"Sword Burst!" He landed just behind her and pierced the ground with his swords. His energy began pumping into the ground.

In an attempt to prevent the damage she was familiar with, Camryn darted towards him.

The remaining 10 charges dissipated as she loaded her next spell above her right arm. "Glyph Magic: Overcharge Strike!"

A wave unleashed from around Achilles at shot off in every direction. Camryn's fist collided with the wave.

The two forces struggled to gain ground on each other once more until ever-so-slightly, Camryn gained the upper-hand.

"Wow, I think she's gonna pull it off," said Adrienne with a hint of awe in her voice.

"Yeah," said Marco. "But I've fought Camryn a few times, that spell is only supposed to take 5 charges, she used ten just now."

"Is that bad?" asked Tally.

"I don't know. I hope not" said Marco.

While Camryn was gaining ground, proloning this clash would be pointless. In an effort to get past this spell, she pushed through it with more determination. She punched through the wave, dispelling the attack. There was a slight tinge of pain and she could feel her right arm aching.

Achilles had spent countless hours fighting. His mind was a steel trap when it came to a battle. He was never one to miss even the slightest hint of weakness. He picked out the strain on her right arm and moved to capitalize.

Once more energy flowed into his swords. He darted in front of the injured Camryn and hit her with the hilt of his sword in her stomach. With her doubled over gasping for air, he dealt a kick just above her right elbow sending her flying into a pillar. "Oh come on Camryn. To think, you're a Scarlet Phantom," he said emphasizing each word. "If you've grown this weak, then there's no point in fighting you anymore. It won't prove anything."

She was on her hands and knees gasping for air as he walked over to her.

"Hmm. No this won't do, I was told I'd get a serious fight if I volunteered," he added. He thought for a moment on how to get her angry and then it occurred to him. He'd have to get a bit mean, but if it meant proving that he was one of the best then he didn't care. "Maybe you and your mother should just lea…"

"Glyph Magic: Double Load!" yelled Camryn as two glyph each with 30 charges appeared on both her right arm and her left arm. "Even as a joke Achilles. You went too far," she said calmly.

"Glyph Magic: Burst Frenzy!" 10 charges disappeared from each glyph and then each limb was coated in energy. She burst off toward him and began her assault, an endless barrage of punches and kicks.

Achilles tried to block each blow with his swords as best as he could, but it proved to be too great an effort.

She had worn him down and when she was sure she had broken him down enough, she dispelled the magic on her arms and legs and loaded another spell. Both glyphs dissipated as all 20 remaining charges focused into a central point.

"Glyph Magic: Glyph Shot!" she yelled as she fired at point blank range.

When the blast cleared, the arena's pillars were all in ruin. Achilles lay defeated.

The referee came down and examined the two Scarlet Phantom Mages.

"The Winner is Camryn Xanthia!" he yelled.

The arena had been silent, but erupted as the match came to a close.

"Got it. Mothers are a soft spot," said Adrienne.

* * *

**October 23, X791, 11:30 A.M, Eternal Knights**

Lucia was awake in the guild hall. She had been up for hours and was excited to share her newest exploit with Christina. Both women had grown close after Christina made it to S-class as Lucia was initially the only S-class woman in the Eternal Knights. She heard footsteps and a smile broke out across her face. She turned to see Christina stretching and breaking out of a yawn.

"Morning Lucia," she said in a tired sing-song voice. She reached the bar that Lucia was seated at and went behind the counter.

After rummaging through a few cabinets, she pulled out a bowl and a box of cereal. The front of it had a mage dressed in robes and a wizard hat.

"I keep telling you," said Lucia. "That sugary death trap is going to kill you someday."

"Give it a rest," groaned Christina. "You know that Wizard Runes is my favorite cereal."

She poured the cereal out and when only a few bits of sugary dust and one mini rune shaped marshmallow fell into the bowl, she grumbled. "Ugh. Fine. We'll do it your way," said Christina. "Let's go out for breakfast."

They got on their clothes and headed out the door. Instead of making the usual turns down into the town square they headed off towards an Eternal Knight shop.

After a few minutes they arrived outside a building where their guild's flag hung. The blue roofed building had a gray and pale blue stone exterior. There were navy blue double doors made of wood and just above where the Eternal Knight symbol flew, was a sign that read Firewall Inn.

"Mr. Basil still makes the best linguini in town," said Lucia as she pushed past the double doors.

They were instantly greeted by the aroma of different kinds of food and drinks. It was pleasant.

The first floor of the building was a lobby which had white and dark blue paneled walls, with royal blue tapestries lining them, close to the ceiling. The floor was made of a dark brown wood, but there was a huge blue rug in the middle of it. On it was the mark of the Eternal Knight's guild. To the east and west of the entrance were two areas that both had three, soft, overstuffed love-seats surrounding a white, wooden coffee table. Each wall behind the area had a dark blue bookshelf that reached the ceiling. They were packed with books of all sorts of different languages. There also seemed to be different types of souvenirs from all over the world hanging from the walls. Directly in front of the door was a counter, where an elderly woman sat.

"Good Afternoon Ms. Edna," both girls said in unison to the old woman squinting to see who was talking to her. Her eyes were a shade of bright green and surrounded by endless wrinkles and freckles. Her hair was cut into a short bob and pulled back so her face was clear. Her hair was a pale grayish-orange color that matched her freckles. Her nose was big and round and her ears were large. Her lips are thin and wrinkly. She was currently slouched over the counter.

She wore a simple white duster-styled nightgown that touched the floor, pink and blue polka-dot sneakers, and a dark blue robe that was tied tight around her and was really fluffy.

When she smiled back, Lucia asked if the restaurant was open.

"Yes, dear. Basil should be preparing lunch right now," said Edna in almost a whisper.

Lucia and Christina turned to their immediate right walked through the doorway hidden by a royal blue cloth with the Eternal Knight's guild mark on it into the inn's restaurant. There was a decently sized eating section with a bunch of white tables each with four dark blue chairs surrounding them and menus set up on them. The restaurant area had white and dark blue paneled walls as well and plenty of souvenirs decorating them. There were a few small, dark blue shelves lining the walls framed photos of exotic places. The floors were a simple dark oak. The bar was furthest from the door, and behind it was the kitchen where a man could be heard singing as he cooked.

" , is lunch ready?!" Christina yelled.

An older gentleman with fiery red hair parted on the left side poked his head out of the kitchen.

"Oh, Christina! Lucia! How nice of you to come for lunch!" he yelled over his stove's loud roar. "I'm finishing up some linguini and then I'll take your orders.

"You never disappoint, . We came for the linguini," said Lucia as she and Christina took a seat at a table closest to the kitchen.

"Hohoho. That warms my heart girls. It'll be right out," he laughed.

"Sooo," said Christina inquisitively. "What'd you want to show me?"

Lucia perked up immediately. "You know how I was away the last few days."

She paused for Christina to nod her head.

"Well, , the guy who runs the antique shop, caught wind of the location of a treasure he thought I might find interest in." She had her hands under the table as she spoke as if she was looking for something. "He had a previous client who had sent him a request for help with a job and he gave me the heads up on it because the reward was something I asked him to stay on the lookout for," she said.

Lucia's face lit up even more as she slammed a key ring down on the table. On it held an assortment of her trademark ruby keys and several gold keys. Countless hours with Lucia told Christina something was different about her keys. It took a few moments, but she saw it.

"Another spirit!" she yelled.

Lucia's face had a permanent grin. "Yup, meet Ruby Key 6," she said as she held up her newest key.

Christina was busy counting in her head. "That makes 9 keys," she said as she shook her head in disbelief.

"Yup, I've got 5 keys from the Ruby series and 4 silver keys," she said happily.

Christina's head hit the table. "That's it," she said depressed. "I'll never catch up."

"Oh come on Christina. You're plenty strong. As a matter of fact, don't you have a ranked match coming up soon? You wouldn't be in one if you weren't."

"Yeah, easy to say for you, number 2. There's just so much space between 9 and 2."

"You've just got to stay focused. Maybe next cycle you should challenge Francheska for her spot. That'd be a good improvement," said Lucia.

Before Christina could get another word in, Mr. Basil burst in the doors.

He was carrying a tray with two plates of linguini. "Here you go ladies, two plates of linguini."

Mr. Basil was an average sized man. The photos on the walls showed him in his glory days. Young, fit and muscular. But now he was a simple, happy man. He had round pot belly and a strong square face with a narrow nose, dark lips and chubby cheeks. He had his mother's bright green eyes and fiery eyelashes that came to a curl at the tips. His chalky white skin was covered in freckles. He wore a white button up, a long-sleeved shirt with a collar, a fiery red bowtie, a white chef's hat, dark red slacks, black loafers, and a dark blue apron with the guild's symbol on it.

"Thanks Mr. Basil," said both girls happily in unison before they began eating.

"Not a problem," he laughed. "It's on the house. No worries and tell Master Seigfreid I said hello," he added as he walked back into the kitchen laughing.

"I'll talk about how I plan on catching up to you later," said Christina through a mouthful of linguini. "Right now, all I need to know is right here on this plate."

* * *

**October 23, X791, 12:00 P.M, Scarlet Phantom. Outside Mistress Narissa's office**

"Wow Fraulein. You've been busy," said Aeden.

He was talking to Francheska. They were currently awaiting Master Narissa's verdict on whether or not Aeden could join the Scarlet Phantoms. Francheska had spent the last few days talking about all that she had seen and learned. He questioned her about how strong she had become and she discussed the coliseum and the guild's success and her place amongst the elite mages of the city.

The door to Master Narissa's office opened and Madeline stepped out. "Our mistress will see you now. She returned to the office and took her place beside Master Narissa. She motioned for Aeden and Francheska to take their seats on the opposite side of the desk.

Aeden broke the silence first. "So what's the verdict? Can I stay or are we leaving."

The entire room shot him a look of surprise and then Master Narissa broke a smile. "I like you kid, but don't push it," she said.

"I already told you," said Francheska. "I'm not leaving. You're my little brother. I've only just found you, so you're staying here with me."

"It's nice that you can vouch for him Francheska," said Master Narissa plainly. "But what's the proof that he is a Scarlet Phantom quality mage?"

"You don't think I can cut it, lady," stated Aeden.

On instinct, Madeline raised her hand to retaliate.

"Don't move Madeline, let him be for now."

'Yes madam," she said coldly. "But I do believe such insolence warrants reprimanding."

"You can't be serious Madeline," shouted Francheska.

"Enough!" yelled Master Narissa. "This back and forth is giving me a headache. First you're going to tell me how you got separated and then you're going to show me why you should be allowed to walk in my halls."

Francheska began, "Aeden and I were born into the Zankers Guild by our parents. We were often alone growing up because other kids were too soft to play alongside us. We were shunned because of our brute strength. As time went on, our parents began to train us in our ancestral magic. Brawler magic."

"Right," said Aeden as he decided to go along with the story. "Francheska was the first, but unfortunately, her body never seemed to grasp the elemental preparation training. See our bodies are able to carry certain perversions of the elements in the world. When our clan reaches a certain age, they would go on a pilgrimage to all of our temples, perform a ritual and if our body could add that element to their personal collection, then they would grow in power. However, Fraulein couldn't complete the elemental preparation and she left the guild in search of her own power. In the time she was gone, I successfully completed two rituals. Wind and Steel."

Francheska resumed her part of the story, "While I was gone, I delved into our clan's archives. I found word of an elemental shrine that had been cast aside for true masters. For only at the end of their pilgrimage can a user of Zänkerichbin magic approach this shrine. They use their soul as collateral and wrestle with whichever unique demon the shrine spits out. I decided to bet my life on winning that battle and after years of searching I found it without completing the pilgrimage. I won that battle and the shrine turned to dust. Apparently, the legend goes every time a master subjugates a demon the shrine returns to the earth to prepare another."

"But she wasn't given the welcome she deserved," said Aeden as he fought off a few tears. "With no master having been able to control that element in decades, her appearance brought jealousy and resentment. No matter how my family argued for her, she was exiled. In her exile, my guild was attacked and everyone, but me was killed. When I awoke I was surrounded by the dead. With no record of any other shrines or Francheska's location I left in search of her and the strength necessary to defeat any dark guild I come across."

Francheska was in tears now. "But I came back. I came back and found people mutilated and vaporized. I buried the guild that cast me aside." She turned to Aeden now. "I thought I buried my family that day, but you're here now."

Francheska turned to Master Narissa now. "Please, Mistre…"

She was cut off before she could finish pleading. "I understand," Master Narissa said flatly. "Madeline, get this young man a guild mark and we'll announce our newest addition."

"Yes, Madam," said Madeline and a few minutes later she returned with the guild stamp. "Where would you like your mark?"

Aeden held out his left arm and pointed to a spot just below his elbow. "Right here is perfect," he said as his sister pulled him into a hug.

* * *

**October 23, X791, 12:00 P.M, Town Square**

After having been gone for a series of jobs across Fiore, Vado was pleased to be home. He strolled through the square and was quite pleased with how happy his city.

Then a sour thought crossed his mind. "If only that damn eyesore wasn't hindering my view," he cursed at the coliseum.

"Screaming at no one Vado?" said a voice behind him.

Vado turned around to find Kenneth Snyder and Melody Stanz.

"Ahh. Some sensible people at last; the lovely Melody and gallant Kenneth." Vado towered over the pair of Nova Eos mages. "What are you two up to?" he asked.

Melody answered quietly. "We just came from Magdalena's and were headed back to the guild."

"Right," said Kenneth. "We had planned on practicing a bit, but there are a few mages who've taken up training day and night for their ranked matches coming up soon."

"Oh, lord," said Vado. "Not everything is about that damned coliseum."

He was pacing back and forth in anger. "Sometimes it feels as if we're second class citizens just because we don't participate in the coliseum. You know, going on missions is far more dangerous than a bloody arena match."

"I don't know Vado," said Kenneth. "Some of those matches get pretty dangerous."

"No, not you too Kenneth," said Vado as he shook his head. "You've got to stay strong, man."

He was shaking Kenneth by the shoulders now. "You've got to remember all of the good we do on missions and jobs instead of just pretending to be a gladiator."

Kenneth and Melody were holding back giggles. "I've actually considered joining the coliseum recently," said Kenneth.

Vado fell to his knees in defeat. "No, say it isn't so. Tell me he's joking, Melody."

"He's serious Vado. He's been getting in practice time whenever he can in case he decides to join during the next cycle," she whispered to Vado.

"Noooo!" yelled Vado as he jumped back to his feet. "I won't accept! What good will come from joining the coliseum?"

Kenneth thought for a moment. "Well for one, it's a good way to practice and pass the time. The regular jobs don't pay as much and aren't exciting. Until I hit S-class it might be the best way to become a better mage. And plus, I might even join the new tag- team league if I can find a decent partner in Nova Eos."

Vado racked his brain for a solution and then it came to him. "Come on an S-class job with me."

Kenneth and Melody broke out in laughter. Then they both said in unison, "Did you forget that we're not in the same guild?"

Vado's face turned into a sly grin as he could finally see the light at the end of his own personal nightmare. "I can sponsor you. Lucia did it a while back with Hazel before she was S-class. As long as both guild masters sign off on it, you can come along with me on a mission and I'll only step in if it's really necessary."

Both of the Nova Eos mages stopped laughing. "You're serious?" asked Kenneth.

"I'm entirely serious. You'll get all of the excitement, I'll keep an eye on you and we'll all walk out of this with a reminder of why missions are more rewarding than playing gladiator." He thought a bit more and added. "Hell, I may even put up a notice around town for other regular mages to join in. Give me a few days and I'll try and convince all three guild masters."

"Um, wow Vado. Thanks a lot man," said Kenneth as he stood in shock.

Vado's mind was already lost in planning. "Not a problem, I'll keep you posted and in the meantime check around for any other mages who might be interested in coming along!"

He was already running back towards the Eternal Knights territory when Kenneth asked Melody, "You think we'll actually get to go on an S-class mission with someone from another guild?"

"I don't know," said Melody quietly. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

**October 23, X791, 12:00 P.M, Firewall Inn**

Edna waited at the reception desk for any patrons to come in. It was odd that anyone would come looking for a place to stay at this time of the day, but she didn't really mind waiting and relaxing. She wasn't the spitfire she was in her younger days.

The front door opened and a tall young lady walked in. Her eyes were a lively orange that clashed with her platinum blonde hair. It fell to her waist and was layered with bangs that covered her forehead and barely let her eyes escape. She wore gray skinny jeans that were tucked tightly into black leather ankle boots. She had on a white leather belt and a skin tight orange tank top that showed off a generous amount of cleavage. It was cut short and showed off a bit of her waist and her flat stomach. She wore an unzipped dark red leather jacket with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. On her right leg was a brown thigh holster which carried a large combat knife. Her skin was a light tan color and when coupled with the curvy figure she possessed, one could see how her looks would pull men from every corner of a room.

"Well. Hello dearie. It's nice to see a new face in town. What's your name?"

The young lady smiled. "I'm Chel D'Amour," she said with a hint of pride. "I actually just got to town and when I passed by I smelled the food from outside."

"That's lovely dear. The restaurant is right through that door," Edna said as she pointed at a doorway. "But, if you've just gotten to town, you might need a place to stay. We also have beds up above in the inn if you want."

"Sounds good. I'll think it over after I eat," said the young lady as she walked through the restaurant entrance.

Chel walked into the restaurant and spotted Lucia and Christina. "_Oh, I might be able to make a quick buck_" she thought to herself. She walked past them towards the bar and asked Basil for a drink.

She was eyeing Lucia and Christina as she sipped her drink. Years of life on the road had given her an ability to read people. She knew the best way to entice Lucia was just by looking at her. If she sat here long enough and just stared at her, Lucia would eventually snap.

A few moments passed and then Lucia could be heard throughout the entire building. "Can I help you!" she yelled.

Chel decided to play innocent. "Who? Me?" she asked, quietly pointing at herself.

Lucia stalked over towards her and slammed her hand down on the counter. "Who else!?" she yelled.

Chel had her right where she wanted her. "I'm sorry, miss," she stammered. "I… I didn't mean to offend you," she sniffled before continuing. "Honest. It was an accident."

Lucia's scowl broke instantly at the girl's tears. "Oh, no no no no. It's my fault. I misunderstood. I thought…"

From behind the kitchen door Mr. Basil's voice could be heard. "Lucia, I hope you're making our guest feel welcome!" he hollered from somewhere deep in the kitchen.

"Yes sir!" she yelled as she tried to calm down the weeping Chel and silence the laughing Christina. "Shh… shh," she pleaded as if Chel were a small child. "Look, I'll pay for a few rounds of drinks to make up for it."

"Really?" she sniffled. "You'd do that for me? That's so sweet," said Chel as she burst into tears of happiness.

"Yes! I'll do it. But you've got to promise no more tears okay?" pleaded Lucia.

"Ok, I'll be a big girl," said Chel as she slowly stemmed her tears.

Lucia put some money down on the counter for her meal and for Chel's drinks. She grabbed Christina and darted for the door.

"Thanks, kind lady!" yelled Chel to Lucia as she burst out of the inn.

When Chel was sure she was out of sight. Her smile broke into a devilish grin. "Too easy."

A few moments later she could hear a few more voices enter the inn and then Javier, Junjo, Shaw, and Rau walked into the restaurant.

"Tell me again why we had to come all the way here, just for food?" asked Rau.

"You don't understand they've got the best linguini in the city," said Shaw in a decrescendo as he caught sight of Chel.

The group made their way over to a table and Mr. Basil walked back out with a menu.

"What'll it be boys?" he asked.

"I'm having the linguini," said Javier.

"Same," added Rau.

Mr. Basil waited for Shaw and Junjo.

He figured out what they were stuck on and cleared his throat. "Boys, if you're gonna order, then order. But if you plan on staring and drooling then you might as well go over to the bar and ask for her name."

Shaw and Junjo snapped from their senses and caught each other's gaze. They jumped towards the bar, throwing each other down when they got the chance, until both of them tumbled into a seat on either side of their mystery woman.

"Hello there, I'm Junjo. You can call me Jo."

"But more importantly I'm Shaw and who might you be?"

Chel waited a moment and then as sheepishly as possible she said, "I'm Chel D'Amour."

"Ah, the name of a goddess," said Junjo with stars in his eyes as he kisses her left hand.

"You must be of royalty," said Shaw kissing her right hand.

"Boys, I need at least one hand for my drink," she said with a hint of seduction.

They both quickly let go.

"You're both sweet, but I just got out of a bad relationship and I just want to relax and take life one day at a time," said Chel.

"I can take things one day at a time!" yelled Shaw.

"Stop lying!" yelled Junjo. "You're always planning ahead. I'm the one Master Jade gets mad at for never having plans!" He turned his attention back to Chel and raised his one eyebrow as he said "We could spend every day doing whatever we want my dove."

Chel forced a giggle. "I'll tell you what. How about we play a game, the first person to win two games gets to go on a date with me, but every time I win, one of you pays for my next round of drinks."

Shaw and Junjo looked at each other and at the same time yelled, "Deal!".

"What type of game is it?" asked Shaw.

"It's a card game," she said as she pulled out a deck of cards from her pocket and pulled them over to sit at a table. "I'll place the deck in the middle of the table and we'll each take turns drawing a card. Then the other two will guess what suit the card is. When they guess, the cardholder will show their card. Whoever guesses correctly wins and if it's a tie, we repeat it."

After the first two rounds, Shaw had one win and Junjo had one win.

Mr. Basil walked out with two plates of linguni for Javier and Rau who had long since finished crying from laughter.

But as they finished their meal and the rounds dragged on, neither Shaw nor Junjo could win another round.

"How can she win 10 games in a row?" asked Junjo.

"Lady's luck boys," said Chel.

Mr. Basil came out to see if they had made any progress and to handle the bill when he finally caught wind of what was happening. His adventures had brought him into contact with many people, hustlers were no exception. Unbeknownst to the mages in his restaurant he went into the kitchen and called Seigfreid. He explained the situation and awaited his arrival.

A few more rounds passed and Chel remained undefeated, but neither boy looked set on giving up. Then Master Seigfreid and Master Jade walked in.

"This is what you're doing instead of training?" Jade's voice boomed.

Both boys stood up immediately. "No, we were taking a break to get food and we just lost track of time," stammered Shaw.

"Javier and Rau have been back for a half an hour," said Master Jade. "If you were more in tune with your training you'd see she's been hustling you."

Chel was in the process of sneaking out when she found herself unable to pass through the doorway. "Young lady," said Master Seigfreid. "You won't be weaseling out of this."

He turned to Master Jade and wished him luck with the three people before him before disappearing into the kitchen with Mr. Basil.

"How could she have been hustling us?" asked Junjo.

"Tell them your magic," demanded Master Jade.

Chel sighed at the thought of being caught. "I can control different emotions with waves of energy. In a subtle dose, I amplified your desire to win and actually made you lose."

"Both of you go home now," said Master Jade.

Without an argument they exited out through the kitchen.

"Now you sit down and stop trying," he said to Chel.

Her eyes went wide and she sat. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Don't play dumb. You've been trying to alter my emotions since I arrived,"

Chel bit her lip at her futility.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna have you arrested," he said much to her surprise. "I may not like your methods, but for you to have been able to pull that off with no one, but Mr. Basil recognizing your magic, is impressive. You have a gift and I won't be the one to snuff it out by throwing you in prison."

"So what are you going to do with me?" she asked.

"I've got an offer for you," he said. "I would like you to join Nova Eos. If you decline, then you're free to go on your way and continue living life the way you live it now, but if you agree then I and my guild will welcome you into our home as a part of our family."

Chel thought over the life she had lived up to this point. The family she wasn't sure she'd ever see again and those she was sure were gone. Maybe it'd be nice to stay in one place for a while she thought. "Deal."

* * *

**October 23, X791, 2:00 P.M, Eternal Knight's Guild**

Master Seigfreid was sitting at the bar in the guild hall working on what he considered to be a top secret mission. Currently, he had Tally on the prowl throughout Brightholt looking for the best ingredients possible and he was gathering the best within the guild hall. The doors burst open and Tally ran straight towards him.

"This is going to be the best ice cream sundae ever!" she squealed.

They spent the next few moments layering giant bowls with all sorts of ice cream and treats and then they sat down at the bar and took out two giant spoons. It only took a few moments, but they had devoured both of their sundaes and were now sitting at the bar, with their heads in their hands.

"It was good while it lasted, Master Seigfreid," said Tally as she fought back tears.

"Gone too soon. Gone too soon!" cried Master Seigfreid.

The front doors burst open once more and in walked an Eternal Knight mage who had been away on a mission for quite some time.

"Shion!" yelled Tally as she raced to embrace the young man in a hug.

He was an average size for a teenager, but his physique always seemed slightly feminine. Despite being a teenager, his face and voice remained child-like. He had one hazel eye and one eye which resembled a kaleidoscope. His brown hair was tied back in a pony-tail and his bangs were kept out of his face with a butterfly clip. Shion wore a yellow vest with a white dress shirt and black pants. He also had on black sneakers.

"Nice to see you too Tally, but could you bring the master down? Someone says they have to see him immediately."

"Oh, that's no problem," said Tally pointing to the bar. "See the master's already…"

She lost her train of thought when a goliath sized man walked into the guild. He must have been close to 9 feet tall and had a couple hundred pounds to his credit as his large muscular frame barely fit through the door way. He had on brown cowboy boots with loose fitting green GI pants tucked into them. The pants were connected to heavy steel shoulder pads with black suspenders. At his side he had a metal helmet. His eyes were a calm green and he himself was bald. His Fu Manchu mustache tapered down the sides of his mouth freely.

"Gimon!" yelled the master happily as he flew over to the mages. "What are you doing here?"

"So you do know each other?" asked Shion as he tried to comprehend his tiny master being friends with the giant.

The man called Gimon explained that Shion had been on the job and they came across one another and decided to work together. When he asked Shion about his guild and Shion described Master Seigfreid, Gimon decided to come meet him.

"But how do you two know each other?" asked Tally.

"When I was younger, I crossed paths with Gimon on a journey, much like Shion did. We worked a few jobs together on the road."

"Wait, how old are you Gimon?" asked Tally.

He seemed to have to think for a few moments. "I'm 48?" he asked aloud.

Master Seigfried began laughing and floated up to eye level with the giant. "So you're still wandering about after all this time?

"Yup," said Gimon. "When I realized where Shion came from, I decided I'd tag along and now that I've been able to find you again old friend. I was wondering if I could stay."

Master Siegfreid's face broke into a cheesy grin. "Gimon, nothing could make me happier."

* * *

**October 24, X791, 6:00 P.M, Coliseum Main Arena**

The elevator was ready to take him up, but Sou Tsubaki knew that there was more pressure riding on this match than just his rank. He had been embarrassed by Marco and another failure would bring a wrath down on him that he was sure he couldn't imagine.

Sou kept replaying his master's words in his mind. No mistakes. No mistakes.

He stepped onto the elevator and was lifted into the arena. The crowd exploded around him. Across from his waited Junjo Rosario, the man attempting to take his position in the top ten.

The lacrima referee came down between both men and announced the match rules.

"Ladies and Gentleman, the match type has been determined as Three Times Fallen. The winner is decided when their opponent has been knocked to the ground three times. Referee, you may begin whenever you're ready."

"Challenger, Junjo Rosario, are you ready?"

Junjo took a deep breath. "This is what I've been training for. Let's do this."

"Number 10, Sou Tsubaki, are you ready?"

"Let's begin," he said.

"Mecha Take Over: Mortar Chamber!" yelled Junjo as his chest rematerialized and he fired off several rockets.

"That won't work!" yelled Sou angrily. "Shadow-Make: Wall"

Each rocket crashed into the wall and when the dust cleared Sou was untouched.

"You'll have to do better than that!" He taunted. "Shadow-Make: Gungnir!" yelled Sou as his shadows took the form of a spear. "Shadow rain!" He threw the spear into the air and on its descent it exploded into miniature shadow pellets.

The pellets crashed down on Junjo as he failed to avoid all of them.

"Look alive, Junjo," said Sou as he closed the distance between them and slashed at him with his reformed his spear sending Junjo to the ground.

This forced the referee to come and inspect Junjo and see if he was willing to continue. "Challenger, Junjo Rosario, are you fit to continue?"

He jumped to his feet. "Yeah, I'm good. I'll have it even in no time"

The referee yelled "Point to Sou Tsubaki. Resume!"

Junjo rematerialized 6 more rockets and fired them.

"That won't work! Shadow-Make: Wall," yelled Sou.

Several of the rockets crashed into the wall, but 2 diverted and purposely missed on either side.

The explosion caused Sou to retreat to avoid damage.

Junjo had already jumped above him. "Mecha Take Over: Beam Tangent!" His arms reformed into a metal a barrel and a laser fired down on the unguarded Sou.

It pummeled him into the ground.

The referee inspected Sou now. "Number 10, Sou Tsubaki, are you fit to continue?"

"Out of my way. I'm fine," he said as he got to his feet.

The referee yelled "Point to Junjo Rosario. Resume!"

"Shadow-Make: Wolf Pack!" yelled Sou as he summoned the wolves and reformed his spear. He hurled the spear at Junjo and it separated into shadow pellets again.

With no means of dodging all of the attacks Junjo attempted to match Sou's firepower. "Mecha Take Over: Double Gatling"! His arms rematerialized into gatling guns and he unleashed on everything before him.

The bullets canceled out each pellet and pierced some of the wolves between them.

When the shadows cleared, Junjo was nowhere to be seen.

"Mecha Take Over: Mortar Cannon!" yelled Junjo as he descended on Sou from up above.

With no time to dodge, Sou recalled the wolves and had them take the brunt of the damage.

The debris cleared to show both Sou and Junjo on the ground. They struggled to their feet and the referee halted the match.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" he yelled. "Both participants were simultaneously downed just now. The match score is now 2-2." He checked to see that both of them were ready and allowed them to resume.

"You're looking kind of tired Junjo," said Sou as he struggled to breath.

"You know Sou. You're not looking so great yourself."

Sou thought for a moment. He needed to win this match and Junjo was putting up more of a fight than he could have thought.

"I've got a deal I'm sure you'll be interested in Junjo. Both of us. One final attack and whoever is left standing is the winner," said Sou.

Junjo broke into a smile. "Sounds fun. Let's do it."

They both built up the remainder of their energy and poured it into their attacks.

"Shadow-Make: Gatling Gun!"

"Mecha Take Over: Double Gatling Gun!"

For the next few minutes, countless bullets from either side hit each other in a non-stop hail of fire. But as the fight between these two men raged on, Junjo gained ground and with the crowd egging him as they became seemingly more aware of it he gained ground faster and faster.

"Shadow-Make: Wolf Pack"Sou sneakingly unleashed a pack of wolves. Junjo moved to dispel the wolves and was left wide open.

The barrage of shadow bullets crashed into him and he was knocked to the ground for the last time.

The crowd was silent.

"Match point, Number 10 Sou Tsubaki!" called the referee. The medics entered the arena and carried Junjo out on a stretcher.

Then there was a cheer from the crowd and they erupted in excitement.

* * *

**Author Note:**

_**Special Thanks:**_

Special thanks to Raiyane

Special Thanks to all of the readers. If I haven't told you yet, I appreciate you all reading, reviewing and subscribing more than you'll ever know.

Special Thanks to Xy-Guy for the Rythmia family.

Special Thanks to Qyresh and MyDearWatson for checking to see if I was alive.

Special Thanks to The Imposter for all of their help as well.

**How's it going?**

I want to apologize for taking so long to rewrite chapter 6. I got through most scenes pretty quickly, but the first fight scene just never came out the same way again and took longer to get close to where it was before. Plus, I'm decently tech-savvy, but I don't think it's possible for anyone to have the amount of trouble I had.

I just want to remind you, that unless it's directly related to a story line or the match-up is a dead give-away (In which case I do speak to the creators), all coliseum match winners are randomly generated. This applies to rank matches as well. Please don't hate me if your character loses a match. It's not like I'm just flipping a coin, but it's all up to luck. Oh and in advance, please don't tell me that you believe your character's magic should have easily defeated another character's magic. Keep in mind, someone somewhere put work into that magic, just like you.

"You're always thanking Raiyane." That's cause she's always helping… haha.

I thought this was obvious, but the guild marks for the guilds are all in the cover photo. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

How would you all feel about the idea of an inter-guild team? Maybe only for a mission or maybe for longer, it's clear though that at least one S-class mage has to sponsor the mission.

I want you all to be completely honest with me about anything that comes to mind. If you have an idea or a critique or I'm messing up your character, please let me know and we'll work on it.

If you ever find yourself curious about when a chapter is going to be released, the tentative date will be on my profile.

OC submissions are closed for this arc. They will re-open after the next arc begins. However, I'll have a cap on how many mages will be accepted during this arc. The number will be different for every arc. Please read the sections on my profile called "OC Positions" if you're interested in submitting an OC to any story.

The next arc was chosen. Look on my profile for the name of the arc that won.

_**Entirely Unrelated**_

So I took everything you all said into consideration. I will be starting a side project. I had plans for a One Piece story, a Bleach story, a Fairy Tail story, and an Akame Ga Kiru story. I had originally decided to leave it up to you all. But, with all of the delays I had, I was able to narrow it down to two different ideas. Both of these ideas will be started at some point over the course of the next few weeks. However, the OC submission process for these will be a little different. There will be more details on my profile for everyone interested. If anyone who is familiar with the manga/anime for these options could message me and tell me what you think of the ideas I have that would be greatly appreciated. Or if anyone has any questions in general feel free to message me about it. Thanks to everyone who continues to support my writing.

**S-class openings update:**

S-class positions closed

So all mages henceforth would be joining the guild or would be a regular member.

I'd prefer to get submissions from people who never submitted before. But don't be afraid to send me an OC if you come up with one.

_**Chapter Release Event**_

I've revealed all of the top ten mages at some point. Most have had their number stated blatantly, others vaguely. This is kind of long. No hard feelings if you don't participate.

Which ten mages make up the top ten in the coliseum?

_**Release Events Rules**_

The first person to list all ten correctly receives a prize.

Then I'll PM the winner.


	7. A Dark Home

**October 24, X791, 11:00 P.M, Scarlet Phantom Guild Hall**

The entire guild stood watching as Master Narissa berated Sou.

"You cheated!" she yelled at the young man before her.

Sou Tsubaki hung his head in an effort to avoid her gaze that he was sure would burn a hole through him. "Madam," he whimpered. "I didn't really cheat" he said emphasizing every word other than "cheat".

The guild fell silent once more, knowing full well what line Sou had crossed. Master Narissa stalked over to the young man and grabbed ahold of his jaw forcing him to look her in the eyes.

"We all heard you, Sou," she said coldly. "You invited that trash to a final confrontation and when you saw that you couldn't beat him you unleashed a set of wolves to clinch your win." She let go of his chin forcefully pushing him to the ground before her. Then she turned to the guild that stood watching the spectacle and her voice boomed through the halls for all to hear.

"You will all listen to what I say next!" she yelled as she scanned the crowd for everyone's attention. "We are the pinnacle of strength in this city. If you lose, then you lose. That only means you're not worthy to wear this mark," Narissa said as she grabbed ahold of the phantom shaped pendant that hung from her neck. "However, I'm not merciless. You're all here because I know you're talented."

She walked back towards Sou who was still seated on the floor and looked down on him.

"You're actions are unforgivable," she said coldly. "You put our name on the line by confronting Junjo like that. If you had lost, I'd be angry. But to win like that only makes us look weak. It makes it seem as if our strength is unfounded and that won't be tolerated."

Narissa scanned the crowd once more and when found the person she wanted to come forth. "Sukki!" she yelled forcing a young girl to step forth immediately.

A young girl stumbled out of the crowd immediately. Her hair was jet black, but red highlights could be seen here and there. Her red boots stopped just short of the knee length black dress that shaped her childlike body. And while she currently hung her head to avoid her Master's wrath she was worried for her companion, Sou, who had cared for her for as long as she could remember. Her icy blue eyes were constantly darting between her master and her friend.

"Y-yes Mistress Narissa?" she stuttered, hoping to not infuriate the fiery tyrant before her.

"You may take Sou to get bandaged and properly care for his injuries," said Master Narissa to everyone's surprise.

The young girl ran over to Sou and immediately helped him to his feet. He had his arm slung over her shoulders and they were limping towards the exit.

"When he's done," added Narissa, "he'll report to Rosca for penance."

Sou's eyes went wide in fear and Sukki could be heard whimpering as she carried him out.

The rest of the guild dispersed after Sou's sentencing. They had only gathered to see that one moment. It was common knowledge within the Scarlet Phantom walls. Master Narissa only wasted her time on the best of the best. Losing wasn't the end of the world in her eyes because she had always been an advocate for redemption. However, the manner in which Sou had won his match might as well have been a loss in Narissa's eyes. Losing twice in such a short time tarnished Scarlet Phantom's esteem and that was only forgivable through punishment; a special type of punishment that Rosca was quite familiar with.

The room had cleared out save for Master Narissa and Rosca.

"What? You, of all people, think I was too harsh?" she asked in disgust.

He scanned her face and every fiber of her being and then his mask twisted into a grin. "You know I could care less," he said chuckling a bit. "I was just wondering why you think you were being too harsh. Something like this used to come easy to you."

"Leave me Rosca, you know I can't stand it when you smile!" she snapped at him as she turned and walked towards her office.

"Yes ma'am!" he said, playfully saluting her. "I'll go prepare for the fun I'll be having immediately."

He exited the guild and Master Narissa took a seat in her office and awaited the report that was sure to come any moment.

Within a moment, Madeline and Fuyumi entered the office.

"Ah, I'm glad to see you two don't disappoint," then she eyed Fuyumi and added, "often."

"Yes milady," answered Fuyumi as Madeline began their report.

Madeline stepped forward and said, "I've scanned, listened to and taken note of every citizen who felt poorly concerning Sou's actions. So far, there are only 13 cases and all of them belong to common citizens with no immediate influence within the city."

"Right!" added Fuyumi zealously. Then she composed herself and continued "I patrolled people listening to the fight over a radio or through lacrima vision and found only 6 people only believed he acted poorly. They too fit the criteria Ms. Madeline described."

"Well done," answered Master Narissa. "It seems we may be able to put this fiasco behind us shortly. You're dismissed."

Fuyumi prepared to exit, but found her senior lingering. Master Narissa caught a glimpse of Madeline hesitation as well.

"You of all people should know better than to hold your tongue Madeline. Ask what you want," said Narissa.

"My apologies madam, I was wondering what Sou's punishment would be."

"He'll report to Rosca for penance," she answered.

Madeline stood, shocked. "Milady, I do believe you're being too lenient. Expulsion is the only course of action that I find…"

She was cut off as Narissa signaled her to stop talking. "I appreciate your concern for my actions, but let's not forget that these are my decisions," she said in as calm a voice as possible.

Madeline's eyes went wide with regret and she immediately hung her head in shame. "Of course!" she said apologetically. "I meant no disrespect. I accept any punishment for my actions."

"Now. Now. Madeline. There's no need for that. You're only concerned for the guild. I'll let it slide."

Madeline and Fuyumi turned to leave the office immediately, but Narissa stopped them.

"And Madeline," she said releasing her immense magical energy and causing Fuyumi to fall to her knees and Madeline to struggle to maintain her composure. "Remember, that even you are not above reproach. Question me again and you'll be met with a fate similar to Sou."

Madeline shook her head without turning to face Narissa. She helped Fuyumi to her feet and they exited the room.

Alone in her office Narissa began to slowly laugh until it built into hysteria. "Did my eyes deceive me or did that child almost manage to stand her ground before me?" she asked aloud for no one to hear.

* * *

**October 25, X791, 11:00 A.M, On a Road East of Brightholt**

"Yes!" exclaimed Vado cheerfully for everyone to hear. The tall man turned around to look at the group of mages that he had convinced to come along with him on an S-class mission. Behind him stood Kenneth Snyder and Melody Stanz from Nova Eos, Korianne Smith from the Eternal Knights and Marionette from Scarlet Phantom.

"I don't get it," said Marionette calmly. "How on Earth did all of our masters agree to sanction this mission?"

She had decided to cast off her signature guild cloak. She wore a white, sleeveless haori with its collar propped open. It had countless inner pockets and silver with swirling lotus spiral designs around the edges.

To most people the silver was purely decorative, but upon closer inspection, the stitched-in pure silver was actually an endless chain of runes that prevented any malfunctions from her innate magic. Underneath, she wore a sheer metallic tunic whose sleeves were long enough to reach past her wrists and the bottom to reach past her thighs. As she walked her thick, dark cargo pants' and silver-buckled, black, heavy-duty, all-terrain boots swished back and forth. Most of her porcelain-like face was covered by a silver-stitched white scarf that covered everywhere from her neck to the bridge of her nose

"Hmm, whatever do you mean?" Vado asked playfully.

"Oh come on now," said Kenneth in awe of the situation. "All three guild masters accepting doing an S-class mission together seems impossible."

Vado placed his fists on his waists and puffed out his chest striking a pose. "Yes," he said in a mysteriously heroic voice. "For any other hero this would be impossible, but for Vado Boin it was a trifle matt..."

He was sent flying by a quick boot to the back from Kenneth. "Get on with it already!" he yelled.

Vado jumped to his feet and dusted himself off as if nothing happened. "-ter. I ran straight to Master Narissa's office as I knew she would be the most difficult hurdle."

As he told his story the group got into a huddle without him. "Did he just pretend that didn't happen?" asked Melody, worried.

"This is going to be impossible," said Korianne pushing her golden brown bangs out of her face for a moment.

"I say we just go back home," said Mary.

"No, I don't think that's a good idea," said Vado.

"Yeah, if we can put up with Vado for now, then we can all go on this mission," said Kenneth.

The group looked at Vado in the huddle and then back at the spot he was standing in previously.

"Why are you in the huddle!" yelled everyone as they broke out into a brawl.

* * *

**October 25, X791, 11:00 A.M, Town square**

Narissa had decided to take a stroll through the square to clear her head. She was certain that Rosca was dealing with Sou at the moment and thought maybe it was for the best if she went and saw how things were going.

Behind her were her three most loyal mages. To the rest of Brightholt they had come to be known as the crimson trio. Narissa stopped and took a look at them, pleased with how far they had come. Sai Nuria, Number 6. Madeline Sable, Number 5. Cerise, Number 4.

She broke into a smile and her trio stopped in their tracks confused. "Madam?" asked Cerise.

"Nothing to worry about Cerise, I only asked you three here today, so that I could take stock of the strength that our guild possesses."

"Ah, of course Milady," said Madeline stepping forward. She pulled out several transcripts on every member with the guild currently and began to refresh their master of each mage's standings.

After a half hour had passed, Madeline put away the files that she carried with her and awaited her next orders; orders that would never come as their meeting was interrupted by the arrival of Master Jade and Auron.

"Why are you here Auron, can't you see we're busy?" said Narissa as he and Jade walked by.

Auron and Jade continued to walk by as they had never intended to acknowledge her. Narissa sat there dejected by their actions. When her crimson trio caught on to the situation, they immediately acted.

They moved into a triangle formation around Auron and Master Jade, with Cerise in front of them and Sai and Madeline behind them. "Our mistress spoke to you. Answer," said Cerise coldly.

Auron turned to her. "Little girl, you will move. I have lunch reservations and I don't plan on being late because Narissa realized she's not as important as she thought she was."

A white flame took shape in Cerise's hand and she charged at him, ready to strike Auron down.

Auron and Master Jade continued walking. To the untrained eye, nothing happened. Cerise suddenly lost her balance and was sent crashing to the ground. But Narissa could tell immediately. A slight twitch of Auron's finger rotated the ground around him and had sent Cerise careening into the ground between Madeline and Sou.

"You dare attack one of my mages!" yelled Narissa igniting a dense blood red flame in her hand. The townspeople caught a glance and immediately scattered off.

Now Auron and Master Jade turned to face the enraged lady before them. "You sit this out, Jade," said Auron as he stepped closer to Narissa. "You know that was only self-defense." His voice grew colder. "That child would be dead otherwise and all because of you. Another person hurt because they love you."

Narissa's rage exploded and with it, the flame in her hand.

"Reverse-Photosynthesis," barked Auron with his arm outstretched.

A tree sprouted from the earth breaking apart the cobble stone and growing into full maturation and then it slowly withered away and died, taking with it all of the oxygen fueling Narissa's flame.

"You know better than that Narissa," exclaimed Auron as he turned back to Jade. "Let's go."

"That was amazing!" yelled an unknown voice.

The mages turned towards the source of the voice and saw a young girl cheering and waving and behind her stood a younger boy. He was hiding behind her, but also clapping.

Her shoulder length black hair had single cerulean colored streak. Her complexion was a lovely mocha color. She wore a high collared long sleeve white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and a dark blue vest over it. She had on denim shorts that reached her knees, black leggings, and cerulean blue shoes to match her streak.

Her vibrant blue eyes clashed with the dark green eyes of her companion. His curly dark green hair matched his eyes. His skin was a shade of tan and he stood a little over five feet tall making him a bit shorter than his friend. He wore a short black jacket over a short sleeve button-up white shirt with an emerald sash tied over his waist. He also had on black pants and green sneakers.

The girl stepped forward and the young man stayed close behind her.

"Hi, I'm Florence Ermalia, but you can call me Flora. And this," she said as she struggled to pull her companion out of hiding. "is Angelo Dienzo."

Narissa had been focused on Auron, but an idea clicked in her head immediately. She couldn't fight with them here, but she could always beat them in one battle for sure. Recruitment.

"Why hello there, my darlings," she said feigning excitement by their arrival. "Come over here and tell us where you're from."

Master Jade, not wanting to lose a step, dashed over to the pair quickly. "Yes, do tell us about yourselves."

Flora nudged Angelo from behind to lead their introduction. His eyes pleaded for her to spare him the trouble, but when she wouldn't budge he said, "G-good morning," he struggled to say. "We w-were sent h-here t-to join Sca-Scarlet Phantom."

Every mage there could see now, why Flora had been the more engaging of the two.

Jade ignored his reason and threw his arm around the boy pulling him in, "No need to be so nervous. You're around friends. Just relax."

Angelo smiled and when Flora felt comfortable, she continued for them. "His father sent us here to join Scarlet Phantom. From the description we heard, you seem to be Master Narissa," she said extending her hand to Narissa.

"Your father is quite an intelligent man," she said buttering up Angelo.

Madeline stepped forward. "We're quite pleased to have you with us, but if you could show us what magic you use we would greatly appreciate it."

"Of course," said Flora taking out a miniature easel. "I, paint pictures, and bring them to life," she said emphasizing each brush with a pause. She finished, placed her hand on her drawing and pulled out a scythe.

She brandished it with a proud smile on her face and then turned to her friend. "Your turn, Angelo."

"Requip: Adapt Armor," he said sheepishly as a pure silver armor took shape around his body. A bladeless sword formed in his hand and he looked around at everyone hoping he had impressed them.

"Uh? What's it do?" said Sai breaking the silence that had settled.

"It absorbs the element of an opponent and converts the armor to that element," said Flora as she quickly covered for Angelo.

A white flame sparked and Cerise instantly hit Angelo square in the chest with it, sending him flying.

He struggled to his feet and his armor was now bright red and in his hand a sword of fire had formed.

Flora's rage got the better of her and she yelled out, "What the hell was that for?!" as her scythe swung and came to a halt just short of Cerise's throat.

Cerise stood on her feet, unfazed, and gripped the scythe barehanded. She squeezed and shattered it. "We had to see if what you two were saying was true," she said calmly. "Sorry, but a lot of people come here looking to join us and figure they have to lie to get in to a prestigious guild."

Narissa interjected now. "I'm sorry, but unfortunately it's true." Then she smiled and continued. "You all don't have to worry about that, you're both plenty interesting and will definitely get stronger once you join us. I'm sure the coliseum will push you to your utmost limits."

Flora dropped the remains of her scythe and cocked her head to the side. "Oh! Right! I'm so excited about that. We read about it on the train ride here and it sounds like so much fun. Angelo's not interested, but I can't wait."

As she spoke the smile on the Scarlet Phantoms turned to disgust.

"What do you mean he's not interested?" asked Sai who now wore a scowl on his face.

"Well, it's not really his kind of thing," said Flora. She thought for a moment and added "I mean, like his magic, he's not really the kind of guy to go looking for a fight, it's more likely that a fight will come to him, that's why his defensive adapt armor suits him so well."

Then Sai and Cerise were doubled over in laughter. Madeline was hiding her face as she stifled laughter as well. Master Narissa was furious once more. Her welcoming attitude had drifted away. "All of my mages participate in the coliseum," she pointed at Angelo now and added, "he is not welcome otherwise."

Flora turned to Angelo who seemed to be fighting back tears and then she burst in anger. "Then we won't join your stupid guild!"

The laughter stopped and the crimson trio was instantly inches from attacking Flora with their own specialties. As their magic came closer to her, they were instantly put down by Master Jade.

"Rock Tomb!" He encased all of them in body tight rock prisons. "Be careful Narissa, the mages you're raising are dangerously close to bringing you all towards illegal guild status," he added as he poked holes for them to breath.

She stood, furious and then ignited the crevices in each rock giving each mage a chance to break free. The crimson trio stood there equally infuriated, but Narissa waved them off. "We'll be leaving," was all she said as she turned and walked away from them forcing them to follow.

Angelo was being consoled by Flora. "It's not your fault. Forget about them, we'll join another guild in some other town."

Master Jade walked over to them. "Might I interject? My friend and I were about to have lunch. How about you join us for a free meal and I see if I can't get you to join my guild instead?"

Flora looked for Angelo to decide and when he shook his head yes, they both followed Auron and Master Jade towards Magdalena's.

* * *

**October 25, X791, 11:30 A.M, On a Road East of Brightholt**

Vado looked at the four mages who were now seated around him with bruises all over them.

"As I was saying, I ran straight to Master Narissa. At first she reacted as one would expect. She lit me on fire," he said calmly as he paced back and forth.

He turned to see everyone's jaw on the floor. "Not to worry, little rugrats. The hero must always face danger at first," he added before continuing. "I then appealed to her sense of competition. I told her the other masters had both agreed to it and she would look weak if she didn't accept."

"She lit me on fire again…" he said. "But after the fire died down, she accepted. I then ran to Master Jade and told him that Master Narissa didn't believe he would accept since his guild was weak and once he heard that he accepted." Vado turned towards his group now and his tone became graver with each word. "After I left him, I faced the final challenge, but I was well prepared for Master Seigfreid's rebuttals. I convinced him that I was well equipped to handle all four of you."

"He believed you!?" yelled Korianne.

"No. So when that failed I volunteered to bring back ingredients for sundaes."

"So you lied, tricked and bribed your way through," said Kenneth shaking his head. "Well, if it works, it works."

They traveled for a few more hours until they reached a town to the Southeast of Brightholt called Rogim Town. The town was calm and most people seemed to be at ease as they strolled about completing daily tasks. The Brightholt mages walked into the town and were immediately stopped by guards. They were dressed in brown body suits with black boots and black gloves. Their faces were covered by protective visors.

"Are you the mages that were sent to help us?" asked the guard who appeared to be in charge.

The group turned to Vado who, now being a man of his word, gestured for them to take the reins. Melody took the queue when nobody answered. "Yes, we are. Can you tell us what the problem is?"

The guard turned and pointed towards a large manor that resided in the middle of town. "This manor belongs to our resident scientist. He was working on something a few months back and then all of sudden he disappeared. When anyone went to check on him, they disappeared as well. We've sent mages from all over in there, but have been unable to make any progress with the situation."

Kenneth chimed in now, "No worries, we'll get it done."

"Yea, best of luck," said the guard as he led them to the gate outside the manor.

The group walked towards the manor and opened the door. The door opened with ease and they stared into what seemed to be complete darkness. When no one made a move, Vado cleared his throat as an indicator that they should move on.

The group walked into the manor and once they were all inside, the door behind them dematerialized and a platform of purple tiles materialized. Beneath the floor seemed to be an endless supply of nothingness, giving the group of mages the appearance of walking on floating tiles.

"Opal's going to be so mad I left her home," said Korianne as she took in their predicament. "If she was here, I could fly ahead and scope out the area."

Vado struggled to put a face to the name before coming to a realization. "Ahah!" he yelled. "You mean the dragon that travels with you."

"You have a dragon?!" yelled Kenneth in bewilderment. "How did we miss that?"

"She's not a dragon. She's a wyvern," Korianne sheepishly said as she fiddled with the ends of her fingers.

"Nonetheless," said Mary walking forward. "We must press on."

As they walked floating sconces appeared alongside them revealing more and more of the path. They walked for what seemed like ages until they hit a fork in the path.

"Should we split up?" asked Kenneth.

"Not a chance!" yelled Melody. "That seems like perfect way to get killed."

"So do we flip for it?" asked Korianne as she took out a coin.

They flipped it and ended up going right. They followed this path until it opened out into what resembled a room. While the flooring remained purple tiles and there were still no walls. The sconces appeared all around them forming a large rectangular shape.

"Is this supposed to be a room?" asked Mary. "It's not very charming."

There was a sudden low rumbling sound that echoed throughout the darkness and then it stopped. Several tiles disappeared in the middle of the makeshift room that they stood in and a sound could be heard coming closer from beneath them.

"It's not a room!" yelled Vado jumping backwards. "Get back! It's an arena."

The team of mages jumped back at the S-class' advice and soon a large figure emerged from the ground. The sconces glowed brighter and the light then shone on it revealed it to be a colossal humanoid. It stood at a height more than twice Vado's imposing stature and its arms were seemingly big enough to grab two of them at once. However, it's most perplexing quality was that its skin was made entirely of diamond.

When they finally came to terms with what stood before them, it unleashed a roar whose shockwave was enough to throw them off balance. It charged at them ready to kill.

"What do we do?!" yelled Melody.

"Fight it," said Vado simply as he took a seat.

The diamond creature arched back a fist as it charged at them and swung at the group.

Mary slid in front of the giant blow. She raised her arms and readied herself to catch and sustain the blow.

The large fist connected with her open palms and the force of the blow was cut to nothing almost instantaneously with the large creature using its momentum to push her back.

The friction caused smoke to emanate from her hands and when it cleared, the rest of her group could see into the inner-automated nature of her body.

Korianne rushed to help her, but Mary waved her off immediately. "I'm not someone you need concern yourself with," she said coldly.

Mary jumped along the creatures arm and ran towards his face connecting a swift punch with its head, dismounting and landing far behind the giant on the tiles once more.

The giant teetered from its lack of balance and the rest of the group sought to capitalize on that.

Kenneth pulled his whistle to his lips and just before he blew, he barked out, "Companion: Rudolphus!" He blew and an ethereal wolf comprised of lightning took shape.

Vado took stock of his team's abilities from the sideline. He thought to himself, "Mary revealed her automaton nature and now Kenneth has called on the infamous Rudolphus. This could get interesting."

Rudolphus and Kenneth were infamous not for their strength, but their communication. They didn't need words or even some sort of telepathy. Rudolphus functioned more as Kenneth's will and acted on his instincts.

Rudolphus howled and lightning rained down on the teetering giant.

Melody jumped to the air and chanted a song that resonated through the air. The sound hit the giant forcing him to scream out in agony.

"Water Jets!" Shouted Korianne as she caught on to the plan. Water twisted around her arms and then shot forward colliding with the giant and knocking him off his feet.

The group cheered and celebrated until they were interrupted by a deafening roar from the beast. It crawled to its knees and swung at Mary sending her flying over the edge.

"Oh Crap!" yelled Kenneth as he darted off the side to catch her and Mary's body collided with him sending them both away. As they fell, they heard the beast continue to thrash about above them.

Kenneth pulled the whistle to his lips once more and blew. "Companion: Shea!" he yelled forcing a wind to contort into a majestic ethereal hawk. They landed on the hawk's back and it flew back to the platform above them.

As they flew in, they could see that Korianne and Melody had been trying their best to hold it off. They were covered in bruises and Melody could barely stand.

"How fast can this creature go?" Mary asked calmly.

"Shea can go plenty fast if she needs to," said Kenneth.

"That being cannot hurt me easily because of my body. If I can move fast enough, I could pierce its body."

Kenneth's face broke into a smile. "I guess we're going diving, Shea."

The hawk soared into the darkness that surrounded them and then began its descent above the diamond creature.

Mary posed herself on the hawk's back, ready to jump off once it pulled back to give her the speed she required.

Korianne, Melody and Rodulphus were attacking the beast to no avail. Neither the lightning nor water seemed to have any effect on its diamond skin.

"What if you both fall through the floor?" asked Kenneth as they closed in on their target.

"Then I fall. Clockwork Art: Juggernaut" she said calmly her body was coated in its own armor and a spear took shape in her hand.

She leapt from her perched position. The Hawk's decent combined with her leap sent her crashing into the diamond coated beast at bewildering speeds. The floor buckled under the collision, but settled without collapsing.

Kenneth and Shea landed alongside their teammates and waited for the dust to settle.

A loud roar burst the dust cloud and the diamond giant stood to his feet. Behind him lay Mary unconscious.

"That didn't work!" yelled Kenneth. "We've got to help her."

"Right," answered Melody as they made a run for Mary.

Korianne had remained still in awe of the beast's imperviousness and then she saw a newly formed jagged scar in the diamond armor. "Wait!" she yelled. "Look at him. That scar wasn't there before."

The lightning wolf read his master's thoughts and electrified himself as he darted at the diamond giant. He collided with the scar breaking off a piece of diamond.

The hole began to regenerate immediately, but before it completed, Korianne could see a sort of soft inner core pulsating inside. The giant remained stationary as it regenerated.

"We've got to break open that scar again and hit that mass of disgusting goo," said Kenneth.

"Have Rodulphus hit him again like that and then I'll hit the core!" yelled Korianne as the giant slowly became mobile once more.

Kenneth grimaced at the thought. "He can't. That isn't possible in repetition…" He turned to the wolf, which seemed to be locked in a silent argument with its master. "Never mind, he'll give it his all and open him up as much as possible."

Kenneth and Rodulphus hopped onto Shea's back and flew off.

"Where are you going?!" yelled Korianne to no avail as they were already too far away.

The beast stirred and Korianne instinctively dodged a diamond fist aimed at her feet by jumping back.

"Water Jet!" barked Korianne continuously as she blasted torrent after torrent of water at the beast. He marched through each blast unscathed. He raised his fist to crush her once and for all.

"Sonic hertz!" yelled Melody as she sang an inaudible song at the beast. He roared in agony and swung his fist at the source of his pain. The defenseless Melody stood in shock as the fist headed towards her. She winced in fear and prepared for the blow.

When a few moments past, she saw the diamond coated fist stopped just short of her.

"Haunted Soul Technique: Possession," said a voice from behind the creature.

Melody peered beyond the fist to see a ragged Mary breathing heavily with her arms tightening into a fist. As she tightened the beast's movements became more restricted. "You might want to move," she said, taking a breath between every few words.

Melody ran towards her side.

"Release," whispered Mary forcing silvery substance to emanate off of the beast, condense and then be breathed in by Mary.

Vado sat in thought to himself. _"Ahh, so that's the puppetry technique I've heard about."_

The beast turned to them, ready to deliver his once delayed punch.

"Watch out!" yelled Kenneth's voice from above. Rudolphus was perched much like Mary had been earlier, but when he leapt, his entire body converted into a single lightning bolt hitting the creature.

Kenneth landed beside his teammates and took in the sight that stood before them now. The once-diamond covered beast now stood as a lump of muscle with bits of diamond splotched here and there and the rest of his skin burnt to a crisp.

Kenneth's eyes widened. "He's regenerating!" He yelled.

"Not a chance. Tornado Wave!" yelled Korianne as she enveloped her arms in torrents of wind now and pierced the exposed muscle. The creature cried out in pain and collapsed. They stood over him and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Bravo!" yelled Vado. "Bravo! That was great. A little long for my taste, but great job either way, huh."

"Why didn't you help?" yelled Kenneth.

"I promised you all, you'd get to do this mission all by yourselves. I only planned to intervene if your lives were in danger," said Vado in a matter of fact tone.

"What do you call this whole fight? We all almost died countless times," said Korianne in disbelief.

"Nah, you were fi…" said Vado before he paused to inspect the giant corpse. "You might want to take a better look at your friend here."

The group took a look at the giant and found that he was instantly deteriorating. The corpse faded into dust and where it once laid; now laid the body of a young man.

The man was young and slim, yet muscular. His skin was a light tan complexion and his dark blue hair had silver highlights. He was dressed formally. His dark royal blue button up shirt was tucked into his black dress pants. He had on a black tie and a matching vest. His shoes were also black. There was a light blue diamond stud earing on his right ear.

He must have sensed the commotion around him since he began stir, shocking the group who had thought he was dead. He awoke and revealed his light blue eyes.

"Aaaaawaaaaawh," he yawned as he stretched. "Hi," he said casually. "I'm Damien Stones."

* * *

**October 25, X791, 12:00 P.M, Magdalena's**

Auron and Jade sat across from the two newly acquired Nova Eos mages with them. Jade was a ray of sunshine after having convinced both Flora and Angelo to stay in Brightholt and join his guild.

"You guys are going to love the guild," he said, like a kid getting ready to share his new toy.

"Th-thanks again, for having us," whispered Angelo.

Flora was shocked he had even spoken.

Auron and Jade broke into laughter. "Come on Angelo!" cheered Master Jade as he got up from his seat in excitement. "There's no need to be bashful. We're family now."

He jumped up onto the table and pulled Angelo up with him. Then he called out to everyone around the restaurant. "Listen up!" he yelled, hiccupping as a buzzed stupor took over. "We're all going to sing a welcome song for my two newest – hiccup – family members!"

The restaurant cheered alongside him and broke into song. Afterwards, Jade collapsed into his seat and began napping.

Flora was excited too. "Is it always this fun?!" she asked in a yell over the singing restaurant.

"It gets better," Auron yelled back. "You haven't even met the guild yet."

Magdalena was bustling back and forth when she bumped into a young man whom she didn't recognize. He was skinny, but underneath his long sleeved gray shirt and white trench coat one could clearly see his muscle. His small pointed nose peeked through the face mask he wore. His left eye was a golden color and his right eye was blue. His white baggy pants were tucked into black combat boots and tied off at his waist with a long blue sash. He had his hood up, but his choppy azure hair could be seen peeking through.

Years of mages fighting in her restaurant had made Magdalena wary of any newcomers covering their face indoors.

"I'm sorry hun, but if I've never seen you before then I'd like to have a clear idea of who it is I'll be having arrested if you break something," she said as sweetly as possible.

"Sorry, about that," he said peacefully. He pulled down the mask to reveal a thin layer of stubble on his chin and a claw mark on the right side of his rugged jawline.

Magdalena didn't bat an eye. She immediately grabbed a hold of the young man's chin forcing her gaze into her own and said, "Now, you're a handsome young man. There's absolutely no reason for you to hide that face."

He blushed, but decided the best way to save his pride was to deal with his reason for having come here in the first place. "Um, could you tell me where Jade Bastion is?

Magdalena thought for a moment and then realized he was referring to Master Jade. "Oh, you mean Master Jade?" she asked with a bright smile. "He's right over there," she said pointing in Jade's direction. Then she caught a glimpse of his drunken state and walked off into the kitchen. "Drunk out of his mind!" she yelled back.

The young man walked over to the table where the four mages sat and attempted to introduce himself. "Excuse me, sir," he said in an attempt to get past the awkwardness.

Flora could tell that Jade was passed out, but she wanted to try something out to see how it felt. "Master Jade!" she yelled forcing the man awake and a smile on her face at the idea of finally having joined a guild. "This guy wants your attention."

"Right," he said he shook his obvious stupor. "How can – hiccup – I help you son?"

"My name is Drayden Kresczech," he started, but was interrupted by Jade.

"Kresczech?" he hiccupped. "Where do I know that name from? Was it Pelgrande?"

"No it's from Velgresk," Drayden answered.

"Ahh, that's right. I worked a job there years ago with a guy named Kresczech," he paused to laugh. "What are the odds you guys would have the same last name?" he said before laughing himself asleep once more.

Auron had tired of his friend's idiocy and slapped the back of his head. "The kid means to say that they're related," he said nodding to the Drayden and fighting his own drunkenness.

Master Jade hopped awake fully sober. "You know Kresczech?" he asked in complete seriousness.

His change of pace startled everyone, but Drayden responded nonetheless. "Yes, he's my father. He sent me here to join your guild."

Jade's face broke out into an unending smile. "Magdalena!" he called out. "Bring out some more beers; we've got a lot to celebrate today!"

He hopped from his seat, pulled up a chair for Drayden and introduced him to the other new members.

Once the three mages started talking, he took a seat again beside his friend. "3 mages in one day. I must be losing my mind," he whispered.

"I told you things would turn around eventually old friend," said Auron.

* * *

**October 25, X791, 2:00 P.M, Eternal Knights Training Ground**

Tally and Aoba stood across from a Jacqueline Arison. Today's training for their premier tag-team match debut consisted of fighting a singular opponent who is stronger than any one member of the team.

Tally and Aoba had invited Jackie over as a chance for her to get back into the groove with a no strings attached match.

The tag team duo stood poised for what was to come from Jackie and when nothing happened they gave a glance at each other.

"It's okay!" yelled Aoba. "No need to go fast!"

Jackie rolled her eyes from across the field. She liked Aoba, but she was gonna make her eat her words today. "Ok, gotcha!" yelled Jackie. "Demon Soul: Aim". Her forearms became black gauntlets with her hands reforming into giant black claws. The rest of her body slowly became encased in scales and her hair grew wildly down to her waist.

She burst forward at tremendous speed forcing Tally to dodge to her left and Aoba to her right.

Jackie was caught in a web of invisible thread. She focused her eyes and traced the thread back to Aoba who now wore a sly grin.

"Gotcha!" she cheered.

"Oh, yeah!" yelled Jackie as she spun forcing the threads to tighten around her scales and snap. She came to a halt prepared to make a witty comeback.

"Who's stu…" she managed before she was interrupted by Tally.

"Violet Djinn's Slayer's Wing!" she yelled as she forced her fist into Jackie's cheek.

The punch sent the thread covered girl flying.

She skidded along the ground and then placed her hand beneath her and pushed off into the air landing on her feet.

"Couture de Affûtée!" barked Aoba, as her sleeves hardened and she came into close quarters with Jackie forcing her guard up to defend against the relentless barrage of punches.

Jackie caught both fists after the she realized the attack barely scuffed her scales and flung Aoba away.

She was immediately met with Tally's hymn. A flurry of purple energy berated Jackie for the entirety of its duration.

She was out of breath, but she had sustained minor injuries.

"You guys, are good," She said as she tried to catch her breath. "But I think I can win this if you can't do more than that."

Jackie dispelled her Aim Take Over and immediately leapt into her next form. "Demon Soul: Leraje!" Jackie's legs were covered in thigh length short sleeved forest green dress with an uneven and chopped hem. Her ears had grown long resembled an elfish being. Her hair was tied to her waist and in a braid down her back. She had short green felt ankle boots and a green hood hung from her neck. There was an arrow shaped scar above her right eye.

She snapped her fingers and formed a bow and arrow of green energy. A grin broke out on her face and she began her retaliation. She fired countless arrows that were nigh impossible to dodge.

Tally had retreated to Aoba as a means of regrouping.

"I forgot she could do that!" yelled Tally as she ducked out of an arrow's trajectory.

"Yeah, her take overs are really something," said Aoba as she simultaneously concocted a plan and deflected an arrow with her strings.

"That's it," she said. "We'll show her a takeover that she can appreciate."

Tally's face turned from one of confusion to mischievous as the pair finally clicked on a solution.

She darted towards Jackie dodging arrows as she closed the distance.

Within moments she was in close quarters with Jackie once more prepared to unleash her hymn.

As an archer, it was common knowledge to maintain the gap, but Jackie wanted Tally close for now.

"Did you think I couldn't fight with you up close," she yelled excitedly.

"Heaven's retali..."

Aoba interrupted her from behind. "Hostile Takeover!" Threads now connected every fiber of her body to Jackie's body.

Aoba took stock of the situation and sighed. "Hmm, looks like a draw," she said plainly.

"What do you mean?" asked Jackie as she pointlessly struggled to get out of the threads.

"If you fire that attack at Tally, her hymn will unleash knocking out both of you and since we're currently connected, I'd lose as well," Aoba explained. "I'll admit, I didn't think we'd mess up so fast."

All three girls dispelled their attacks. "It was a lot of fun though," said Jackie.

Tally jumped on her, throwing her to the ground. "You've gotta come train with us again sometime Jackie!" she yelled as she gripped Jackie in a vice-like hug.

* * *

**October 25, X791, 4:00 P.M, Coliseum Main Arena**

Shaw stood in the arena across from Christina Vaunt. He had been preparing for this very moment. He was determined to turn the tide in Nova Eos.

"I'm sorry about this," Shaw said sincerely. He didn't mind Christina at all and seeing how Scarlet Phantom looked down on them, he'd much rather fight one of them, but as luck would have it he was set to fight Christina.

"Why is that?" she asked earnestly.

"I've been working way too hard to lose here. Master Jade paired me with you because he thought I'd have my best shot against you, number 9.

"He's mistaken," she said as her voice took on a graver tone. "I'll explain something to you. The numbers of the coliseum don't mean much when you put everything in perspective."

She walked forward a bit and continued. "For example, Lucia and Rosca are separated by 1 spot, but are almost equal in strength. The crimson trio holds their spots because they collectively can't surpass the hurdle that is Hazel Rochelle. Marco is too lazy to continue on and I don't care to fight Francheska."

Shaw stood confused. "None of that matters, you'll be seeing how hard I've worked just for this fight in a bit."

The Referee now floated between them. He turned to Shaw and said "Challenger, Shaw Riley, are you ready?" To which he nodded his head. "Number 9, Christina Vaunt, are you ready?" With that the referee shot into the air above them and announced for the arena to hear. "You May Begin!"

"I'll waste no time!" yelled Shaw. "First Gear!" White vapor rose off of his body and he burst off at Christina with his fist cocked back.

"Shotgu…"

The crowd sat frozen as the speeding bullet that was Shaw met with an unthinkably faster fist from Christina.

Her fist was planted squarely in his gut forcing him to gasp for air. His eyes rolled back into his head and he fell to the ground.

"I think that's enough referee," Christina said calmly. "I don't wish to hurt him."

This forced the referee to come and inspect Shaw and see if he was willing to continue. "Challenger, Shaw Riley, are you fit to continue?"

There was no response.

"Challenger, Shaw Riley, are you fit to continue?" he tried once more.

There was no sound in the stadium and then a gasp was heard from the center of the arena. Shaw sat back up and looked as if he had seen a depth he couldn't imagine.

"I'm ok," he said as he stumbled to his feet.

"Point to Christina Vaunt!" yelled the referee.

"Please, don't do this," Christina pleaded emotionlessly.

"Like I said, I'll win today," Shaw shot back. "I'll see it coming this time. Don't worry Christina."

She could see his determination and it only fueled her desire to fight.

Christina darted at him and aimed a punch for at his face. For a brief moment, he blocked it and the crowd went wild and began cheering.

Christina was ecstatic and unleashed a flurry of punches that Shaw could barely see. He struggled to keep up, but maintained his composure and saw his chance come in her endless stream of punches.

"Critical Impact!" he barked as he unleashed his fastest and most powerful punch.

The fist sailed towards Christina's face and for that moment, Shaw could see the interaction perfectly. This perfect punch slowly inched towards its mark and then it was effortlessly deflected with a flick of her wrist.

The punch's force collided with barrier in front of the spectators and shook it.

Shaw was left completely open.

Energy welled up inside Christina and was unleashed at point blank range. "Holy… God's… Bellow!"

The silvery white light enveloped Shaw and when the dust cleared he lay on the ground once more.

The referee "Challenger, Shaw Riley, are you fit to continue?"

The boy lay awake and fully conscious, but every fiber of his being told him to stay down.

"I can go on," he whispered as if talking hurt as well.

"Point to Christina Vaunt!" yelled the referee.

A few minutes went by and then forced himself to stand. Most of his body was burnt. But he stood. "I told you, I'm winning today. No matter what."

Magical energy welled up inside him. His gaze never broke from Christina's and then it burst forth again. "Second Gear," he said trying his best to breathe evenly. Vapor intensified as it steamed off of every muscle.

"I told you t…" Christina started.

Shaw's fist connected with Christina sending her flying across the arena.

She sat up with a crazed look in her eyes. "That. That right there," she said as she started to laugh. "Don't ease up. I want you to stay just like that… so I can break you down!" she yelled as her magical energy intensified.

"Holy God's Flight of Hermes!" she yelled as he body was enveloped in the familiar silver white light.

She burst forth, rocketing a punch at Shaw, who blocked it. The force of the punch created a crater in the arena beneath him.

He deflected the follow up punch with ease and then bicycle kicked her body away from him.

She landed on all fours and skidded to a stop.

Then she darted forwards again. He was prepared for this and had already activated his shotgun spell.

The spell sent several un-seeable punches forward to no avail. Her speed had already brought her behind him.

She was a few feet in the air and unleashed her bellow once more.

"Critical Impact!" he barked out as the torrent came closer. The force of this upgraded punch split the wave onto either side of him. She landed in front of an unprepared Shaw.

Her punch connected with his gut. He doubled over in pain only to find his jaw connect with a rising knee.

As they both rose from the momentum of the kick, her leg rose far above his head. Once momentum took over, her leg dropped onto the back of his neck driving him into the ground.

"Match point, Number 9 Christina Vaunt!" called the referee. The medics entered the arena and carried Shaw out on a stretcher.

* * *

**October 25, X791, 6:00 P.M, Rogim Town manor**

Vado looked over at the team of mages around him. "You all did wonderfully," he said as Korianne tried her best to heal everyone in her wounded state.

The man named Damien had become more lucid in the time that they rested and had since disclosed what he knew about the manor.

"Tell us again how you ended up as a giant diamond monster that wanted to kill us," said Kenneth.

"Like I said," started Damien. "I was traveling with another mage. We took this job as a means of making money. We figured we'd come in, find some scientist and then get paid. However, it didn't go that way. We walked the same path as you and were confronted by a giant monster."

Damien's face twisted in thought as something clicked in his head. "The monster we fought wasn't made of diamond," he said catching everyone's attention. "It was made of Water. I think I was made of diamond because I use diamond based magic."

"You mean, there are more giants and inside of them are all mages?" asked Mary.

"So the magic they use is somehow being used as a source for their power," asked Korianne. "How is that even possible?"

"That I can answer," said Damien as he stood to his feet. "The last thing I remember was my friend and I tearing through a giant and a woman being freed. Before we could attend to her, two more giants showed up. We took out one of them, but no one was freed from within and then the other one was made completely of fire and it we were too exhausted to keep going. He beat us and then the scientist showed up and carted us off somewhere. Next thing I know I'm waking up here again."

Before any more questions could be asked, a giant hand made of flame slammed down on the purple tiles as a flame giant pulled himself up onto the platform.

"It's back!" yelled Damien.

"How are we supposed to fight him like this?" asked Melody.

Vado looked around at his team and smiled a devious smile. "Looks like it's time for a hero to save the day," he chuckled as he struck a pose.

* * *

**Author Note:**

Special Thanks:

Special thanks to Raiyane

Special Thanks to all of the readers.

**How's it going?**

So… Submissions are closed for this arc and for the next arc. Let me explain, I've changed the next arc and this arc a bit and with those changes I'll be able to introduce a few more OCs this arc. That only leaves a fair amount of space for introductions next arc which has forced my hand here. It will re-open eventually.

Um… Not a big issue, but if you're going to change your name. I'd greatly appreciate a heads up, so I can change the reference name in my notes. Sorry for the inconvenience.

One of my intelligent readers mentioned creating a character list. I think it's a great idea and to make it a bit more interesting I decided to borrow an idea and ask the creators of the OCs to send in a link to an image which represents their OC. Now… it doesn't have to be exact and you don't even have to send one in if you don't want to. You could also say they look like "blank" from "blank anime/manga" but with a different hair color or different clothes. If any of you draw and happened to draw the character on a website of some sort, you can send me the link for that as well.

I'm hyping up this tag-team league, but if there are any teams 2 man teams, within any one guild, that you all want to suggest now or in the coming chapters feel free to do so and I'll definitely take it into consideration. The only criteria are that the team consists of mages who aren't S-class.

Are my fights clear?

As you all know, I have been planning another story for a while. I uploaded the first chapter of Knights of Fiore alongside this, for anyone that's interested.

**S-class openings update:**

S-class positions closed. You're all lovely people. But this is closed, terribly sorry about that.

_**Chapter Release Event**_

Who caught the Anagram? What was it?

_**Release Events Rules**_

The first person answer correctly receives a prize

Then I'll PM the winner.


	8. Gladiator Day

**October 25, X791, 6:30 P.M, Rogim Town manor**

Vado looked cheerfully at the flaming colossal being that stood before him.

"Everybody, pay close attention!" he yelled as he unraveled the whip at his waist. "I'm now going to attack the beast's sense of pain directly.

"Haha!" he cheered as his whip hit the giant's arms.

"Yes! Gotcha," he said focusing on the left leg.

"Ahah, I see you all are speechless," he called to the group behind him as he whipped the beast several more times. "The great Vado is too impressive to comprehend. I understand the feeli-."

The beast inhaled and then quickly exhaled, unleashing a wave of fire.

Unable to dodge with the mages, he acted as deftly as possible.

"Misdirect!" he shouted forcing the tip of his whip to become entangled with the flame. He cracked his whip away from the arena and the wave followed into the darkness around them.

"The great Vado sees now." He turned to address the group. "This beast feels no pain. That makes spirit lashing it impossible."

"Not to worry," said Vado hopping back to the fiery giant. "If it seems to have no soul, then I don't have to worry about incapacitating it before robbing it."

"You're gonna rob it!" yelled Damien.

"Of course. The Great Vado goes by many names. One of which is the 'Penumbra thief'."

Vado cracked his whipped at a target just beneath the giant. "Black Heist!" he barked as the shadow of the beast was peeled off the ground.

"What the hell are you doing?" Asked Kenneth.

He retracted his whip and the shadow molded around his body. "Now, it's time for some fun."

"Reaper Sentries," whispered Vado, as the mold surrounding him broke off into two ghostly figures beside Vado. They appeared in the shape of dark hooded, skeletal reapers that floated just above the ground. In their hands they both held a scythe.

As Vado moved, they acted instantly. He darted forward and they skirted above the ground alongside him at blinding speed.

The reapers swung in tandem and the group of mages behind the speeding Vado watched in awe as both of the flaming giant's arms fell to the ground and dissipated.

Vado closed in on the confused giant with the intent of tackling him to the ground, but was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of a hand made out of a frosty liquid.

He was sent across the purple tiled arena by a new giant's appearance. Its body was composed of water that was seemingly held in place by a thin layer of ice. On its back were wings made of a similar composition.

Vado composed himself and took note of the beast's leaky fist which had sent him flying. It roared and began advancing on him from his left. Its fiery companion regenerated its arms and shuffled to the right, effectively denying all points of exit.

"We've gotta help," said Korianne as she helped Mary to her feet. The group agreed, but before they could make a plan Vado interrupted them.

"Not to worry!" he yelled. "The Great Vado does not fear creatures such as this."

"You're gonna get killed like this Vado!" yelled Kenneth. But his words fell on deaf ears, as Vado had already begun his retaliation.

"Black Heist!" yelled Vado as his whip stole the watery foe's shadow.

The murky substance molded to Vado's body and he charged straight towards his enemies.

A deafening roar preluded a fist from the flaming giant.

Vado side-sidestepped the blow quickly summoned another ally. "Obsidian Knight," said Vado as the substance surrounding him flowed towards the formation of a large armor clad knight. In its hand it wielded a dark broadsword.

The fist that had been sidestepped was instantly lopped off by the knight.

The water giant leapt forward to pummel Vado, but found itself bewildered by the Knight's speed. It caught hold of the impending fist and then used its leverage to toss it aside.

The fiery giant had had no time to react to the loss of its arm, as the reapers once more mutilated its body. Moments after losing the arm, it had lost a leg to one reaper and a portion of its chest.

The watery giant regained its composure and took to the air. It swooped in and took the night into the darkness surrounding them.

"Recall!" yelled Vado forcing all, but one scythe to remain before him. He picked up the scythe and pierced the fire giant's torso. "That should keep you there," he grunted out.

"Where are you going asked?" Marionette.

"I'm going to bring the other one back," said Vado. Then he ran to the edge of the arena and leapt off.

As he fell Vado used the substance that had constructed the reapers to form one more ally. "Shadow Wyvern!"

The substance drained beneath him as he fell and formed into a wyvern nearly as black as the space around him.

"You think he's dead?" asked Melody as the group peered over the edge.

"If he's not dead, he's definitely insane," said Korianne just as a Vado and his Wyvern burst past them and shot off into the darkness.

"Yup, definitely insane," said Kenneth.

Vado's Wyvern flew at blinding speed towards the Knight. Vado found the watery giant dangling it in the air and attempting pierce it with its hands which had contorted to form gigantic blades.

The wyvern tackled with the giant, knocking the knight loose.

"Recall!" barked Vado once more. All but the sword was taken back. While not as proficiently, Vado had managed to wield the huge blade several times in combat.

The wyvern operated in tandem with Vado's will and headed back towards the arena. They couldn't see nor hear the giant, but eventually it found them.

It swooped in and tried to cleave at the dark wyvern. Every darting attempt was just barely evaded, until Vado held back his wyvern purposely.

They had just come back over the arena and it swooped in. Vado swung the knight's blade, tearing off a wing and an arm simultaneously.

This sent the giant hurdling back down to the arena. Vado's wyvern darted down behind him.

As it fell, Vado summoned the Knight once more and handed him his blade. The knight leapt from the wyvern and impaled the Water giant's torso beneath him.

Vado landed between the impaled bodies of the fallen giants and after examining his work, looked back at the group. "Huh!" he yelled through a cheesy grin. "What'd ya think? Pretty good, right?"

The mages watched as Vado jumped to the fiery beast's chest. His arm and whip were now lodged in its chest.

He jumped from its chest and in his hand he held a large pulsing nucleic core. The giant lay still with a newly formed hole in its chest. Vado's whip was wrapped around the nucleus and a long cord extended between the nucleus and the giant.

"I think this is what was forcing him to cause such a fuss," said Vado Nonchalantly.

"That's ridiculous," said Melody. "You beat two of them in no time, but all four of us barely survived one.

"It's all in a day's work for a hero," said Vado as he struck a pose once more.

"So cool!" said Damien who had jumped Vado's side to admire him and seemingly forgotten his injuries.

"Sit back down!" yelled Korianne. "I'm not done healing you."

The flaming giant dissipated, but in its wake lay nothing.

"I don't get it," said Kenneth. "Why isn't I like it was with Damien?"

"He did mention that he bested one and it did not have anyone within it," said Marionette.

To Vado's left, there was a noise. The water giant had begun dissipating, but in its place laid a young girl. Her long green hair was in a ponytail that went down to her waist. She wore a golden tank top, a dark blue jacket with a silver pendant and denim blue. Her skin was fair and as she squinted in the poorly lit darkness, her blue eyes could be seen.

She looked around, until her eyes landed on someone peculiar, "Damien?" she asked curiously.

"Lily?!" he shouted. "Wow, you're okay," struggling to get an eye on the girl and continue his healing.

"I take it this is the girl you were traveling with," said Vado.

"Where's Crystal?" Asked Lily as tears began to form in her eyes.

The group took a moment to get Lily caught up on all that they knew. All signs pointed to the resident scientist as the culprit.

Before they could discern any more a voice echoed through the darkness. "You've beaten three of my favorite Constructs," it said in a raspy voice. "I'll make you repay this debt by taking their place."

The floor opened up to reveal a seemingly endless staircase. "I'm waiting for you."

"Wait!" yelled Kenneth. "Where's the person who resided within the flame giant."

After a moment passed, the voice spoke once more. "As you're about to share his fate, I'll tell you. Once the recipient of my blessing has been inside to long, there simply is no way of returning. It's perfect."

"Mr. Creepy Voice," said Vado heroically. "The Great Vado," he paused for dramatic effect, "is coming for you."

* * *

**October 26, X791, 12:00 P.M, Coliseum Locker Room**

"Are you sure you wanna fight?"

This was a question Adrienne had hear endlessly from the girl who had grown exceptionally attached since her arrival a few weeks earlier.

Adrienne looked over at the redhead. "Yes, Alice. I'm sure I want to fight. There's a girl who just joined Nova Eos within the last few days fighting today. I've been here for a few weeks and I haven't fought yet."

She turned to the girl and placed both hands on her shoulders. "I'm definitely fighting today," said Adrienne as she playfully shook the girl.

"Hmm. But be careful," said Alice. "After seeing your fighting style the last few days, it's gonna be impossible to not worry about you."

Adrienne flashed her a cheeky grin. "Relax, Alice. I promise I won't get too reckless."

She took another look at herself in the locker room mirrors. She still wore baggy black pants, but had a new found love for the color blue, so at some point she purchased a blue sweater with two black knights fighting. Her long black hair was tied in a single braid going past her waist.

She stepped out of the room and turned towards the elevator. Once on it, the elevator began to rise.

"Wish me luck Alice!" she called out to the nervous redhead.

The redhead shook off her nerves and waved excitedly to Adrienne.

The elevator brought Adrienne into Arena C and there were immediate cheers from the crowd. She looked around and saw the usual splotches of support. There were fans supporting all three guilds.

As her eyes narrowed on the crowd of blue, she caught a glimpse of Alice scooting through rows of people towards her seat. Adrienne kept scanning the crowd until she saw exactly who she had been hoping to see.

She hadn't thought it possible, but there within the sea of red sat Madeline and Fuyumi. A childish idea sparked in Adrienne's mind and she knew that she'd find herself apologizing to her opponent shortly.

She turned to face her opponent. They had indirectly met once before, but in their last meeting he was being carried out of the coliseum after a deadly defeat at the hands of Rosca. The man before her was just over 6 feet. He had a buzzcut and pale skin. His blue jeans and black boots seemed a bit dusty, as if he had been a ranch hand in another profession and the sleeves of his green and black plaid shirt were rolled up.

"I guess I should be worried since you were bold enough to fight Rosca one on one," said Adrienne in a matter of fact tone.

The man wrinkled his nose at Rosca's name. "Nope, I reckon it was quite obvious I made a terrible decision," said the man in a poorly hidden accent. He walked up and extended his hand to her. The name's Ralph, Ralph Shredder."

Adrienne accepted the gesture and successfully stifled laughter at the man's peculiar accent. "I'm sorry for what's about to happen then. It's just… I've got some people to prove wrong." She said as she pointed at the Scarlet Phantom fans and mages behind her.

The referee came down and announced that it would be a 3 minute exhibition match.

"The following match is an exhibition style match. The first person to knock their opponent out of the arena once is the winner. The referee signaled for the outer ring of the arena to be retracted. The outer ring slowly retracted revealing the 30 foot drop into water. Also if either participant fails to win within three minutes then the match will be a draw and both participants will split the prize money of 50,000 Jewels."

He turned to Ralph and began "Ralph Shredder, are you ready?"

"Yes sir", said Ralph.

The referee turned to Adrienne and repeated his question. "Adrienne Byrne, are you ready?"

"Now or never I guess," exclaimed Adrienne.

"You may begin!" Yelled the referee.

Ralph jumped back, but was immediately caught off guard by a sprinting Adrienne.

Her fist connected with his jaw and he was sent skidding towards the edge.

His eyes went wide. "Wow! You're quick little la-" he barely managed before he was forced to duck under a speeding kick.

He jumped away from the edge of the ring and turned to face Adrienne. "Well, I can see you're not messing around at all," said Ralph. "That's fine. I'll do the same."

"Transmutation: Bladed body!" barked Ralph.

His pale skin quickly tightened and took on a silvery hue as his entire body supposedly sharpened.

He darted towards Adrienne and his every stepped left quickly left small scars on the arena floor proving that his words weren't empty.

He leapt at Adrienne to close the distance and she jumped to her side to avoid the punch he had prepared for her.

The fist collided with the arena edge she had been standing on and cut through it like butter.

"Holy crap," whispered Adrienne as she took in the strength of her opponent. Then a smile broke out on her face as the excitement got to her. "This is gonna be fun!" she shouted.

Adrienne darted back towards Ralph and didn't hesitate to put her obvious speed advantage to use.

She embedded a flurry of punches into the unflinching man. Every punch cut open her knuckles more and more until her speed made her appear as a blur of red.

She aimed a final punch for his jaw and was stopped in her tracks as Ralph's bladed hand caught ahold of the punch.

"Looks like I'll be the one apologizing after this is over," said Ralph.

He pulled her in by her fist and her abdomen was met with a bladed knee.

Adrienne doubled over in pain as she gasped for air.

Ralph capitalized on her pain, but punishing her abdomen once more with a right handed uppercut.

She fell to her knees, but was quickly brought to her feet again. "Sorry," said Ralph as booted Adrienne across the arena with a kick to the chest.

The crowd was cheering Ralph's name. Alice looked riddled with worry as she watched her friend lie motionless. Within the sea of red, Madeline sat still with a look of boredom on her face. "Looks like I was right to go with my gut," she said to Fuyumi. "That feeling I had from our first meeting was nothing."

The referee floated towards Adrienne, but before he could ask his usually series of question, she stood to her feet and the crow went silent immediately.

On her face was a huge grin. "Wow Ralph, you're really strong," she said looking over the bruises on her body.

Her hand rested on the hilt at her waist now. "That's why I'm really sorry about this."

She grabbed hold of the hilt and drew it. Her magical power spiked as the blade took shape. She took her eyes off Ralph to catch a glimpse of the one thing she had wanted so very badly. In the stands, Madeline sat with her eyes wide and her mouth agape.

"What's wrong Madeline?" said Fuyumi as she tried to shake her back to reality.

"That's a blood pact weapon," said Madeline. "I can feel it."

Adrienne's body was riddled with cuts and bruises. But as long as she was standing and the timer was still counting Ralph was prepared to fight.

A quick look at the timer told him that only a minute and a half had passed. He had to press on and beat the girl before him.

"I don't see how one blade is gonna cha-" was all Ralph managed before Adrienne's speed magic had allowed her to cut her opponent.

There was now a large gash in Ralph's chest, but being the experienced fighter he didn't hesitate to respond.

He aimed a bladed fist at Adrienne only for her to seemingly disappear and him to be cut from behind.

Ralph turned towards her quickly, frustratedly swinging at her, only to miss once more.

It seemed that within moments she had stepped out of the way of his fist and stepped back within range again.

Ralph was cut once more as Ares was forced across his chest vertically.

'_Not only is she faster, but she can cut me as if my body is merely paper. How can she still move? What is she?' _thought Ralph.

He was struggling to catch his breath, but he couldn't help asking. "What is that blade?" asked Ralph.

"This is a blood pact weapon," said Adrienne with a simple smile on her face. "A user forms a contract with it through a sacrifice of magical power and blood and becomes the only possible user for it. When a blood pact weapon is activated, that power is temporarily restored and the wielder is able to use the abilities of the weapon."

"What abilities?" said Ralph as he knelt down to ease the pain.

"Well, I guess they're all different, but Ares," she said holding the blade sideways for him to see clearly. "is also known as the warmonger. This blade can't help, but fight. It can't deal with the idea of not being in constant combat so it only has one ability. As long as Ares wills it, its wielder will not die."

She pointed at the bruises she had acquired moments before. They were slowly mending themselves. "Ares needs only one thing to fuel that desire and that's my opponent's blood. The more I succeed on the battlefield, the more Ares will allow me fight," said Adrienne.

Ralph could see his blood on the blade's edge and Adrienne's wounds slowly dissipating. "That's truly a frightening ability," said Ralph as he laid back and signaled his submission.

"The winner is Adrienne Byrne!" shouted the referee.

The crowd erupted in cheers and Adrienne scanned the crowd one final time for Madeline. She found her sitting within the sea of red which couldn't help but cheer as well. She wore a scowl on her face and was seemingly enraged by the situation.

Adrienne shot her a devious smile just to put her over the edge a bit more and then went to help Ralph to his feet.

"Good match Ralph," she said. "I'm sorry about all this."

"Yeah," he said before laughing a bit. "Now I'm kinda mad at whoever pissed you off."

* * *

**October 26, X791, 12:00 P.M, Xanthia Apothecary**

Camryn sat absentmindedly on a barstool within her mother's workshop. There had been no customers for the day and at this point any excitement would do. She had even begun to hope for Markie to start talking.

Markie was one of her mother's pets. He was a tall, tan brick golem that stood at imposing 6'7". His head was shaped like a castle fortification and large red eyes could be seen glowing from between the brick. He was quite slow and heavy, but he had proved fearsome enough when mischievous children entered the store. His full name was Sales Golem Mark IV, so he was usually firmly planted at the register and other than the taking the occasional order from Camryn's mother and responding with "acknowledged", he was quiet.

Camryn's mother, Alivia, was somewhere within the shop working on a potion and Camryn had been left to watch the store with Markie. The building itself was two stories high and made of mostly ornate, light wood with a brick red shingled roof. The entire first floor made up the storefront and workshop of Xanthia Apothecary, while the upstairs served as a living space for the Xanthias. The main room where Camryn currently resided was lit by a few hanging lights and sunlight from large windows in the front of the building. The walls were white with light wood accents and lined with wooden shelves that were filled vials filled with potions of all sorts of colors, reds, blues, greens, purples, so it often looks like Christmas inside due to the faint glow the potions gave off. Markie stood at the register on the opposite end of the building behind a long counter with a swinging door. Behind the counter was a staircase that lead up into an opening that ended in Alivia's workshop in the back.

Moments away from a death brought on by boredom, Camryn was saved by the door to the shop opening.

A young man and woman burst in and fell to the floor. They were covered in enough dirt to appear as if they had just journeyed through a mine shaft.

The boy was the younger of the two. His shaggy black hair hid his green eyes and the gauntness of his pale face. He was a few inches over 5 and a half feet tall and while he had a lean muscular build, it appeared that he hadn't eaten in days. A gasmask hung from one of the belt loops on his blue jeans. His black hoodie currently hid the simple black shirt with a sword design that he had on.

The girl seemed to be just over 20, but maintained an almost doll-like quality to her appearance. She was just over 5 feet tall. Her eyes and hair were a steel grey which supported the air of maturity exuding from her given her current appearance. Her grey hair fell in wild and untamed waist-length tresses. Even behind the dirt, the simplicity of her beauty could be seen. She wasn't wearing shoes and her rumpled black slacks and skin-tight black sleeveless shirt had fresh tears in them from whatever she had just endured. The shirt had a lower balaclava mask sewn in to cover her mouth. In her arms, she carried a black tailcoat that was several sizes too big, yet clearly hers.

Camryn stared at them in confusion before coming back to her senses. "Mother!" She yelled loud enough to shake the building. "Come quick and bring the Revitalization Potion!"

A few moments passed and then a shout could be heard from upstairs followed by loud stomping. "Camryn Xanthia! I swear if you managed to hurt yourself by playing around down there, I'll have you working over time."

The woman who would be known as Camryn's mother got to the stairs when her green eyes fell on the two people lying on her floor. The fair skinned lady stood just under 5 and a half feet tall. She had a thin frame. She was just a few years shy of 50 and had a few faint wrinkles to show for it. Her long black hair fell to the middle of her back with her bangs covering her forehead slightly. The woman was called Alivia Xanthia and she had seen all manner of danger and darkness. The absence of her right arm from just below her elbow was proof of that.

On her head was a simple black witch's hat with a white ribbon tied around the base just above the wide brim. Her black pants and knee length black boots were hidden by a black robe and parka which flowed down and lightly brushed the ground as she walked.

She scanned the situation and quickly understood that something must have happened to them.

"Well, what are you just standing there for?!" yelled Alivia. "Bring them up here immediately."

Camryn, lugged the pair up the stairs to her mother who was currently running back and forth between her port and Camryn. She finished two potions, sat up both the male and female and poured the light green liquid down their throats.

They were still for a moment, before each of them coughed and quickly sat up.

"Thank you, but why would you help us strangers so easily?" asked the young lady between coughs.

"Hmm, why would you come in a stranger's store, if you didn't need help," responded Alivia.

The girl's eyes widened in embarrassment and it was clear that she didn't rely on people easily.

"I'm Rook and this," she added while turning to her companion, "is Karma."

Karma was awake now, but still seemed too weak to move.

"You all were traveling through the mountains that much is clear, but why?"

Rook hung her head in shame. "I was forced from my home because the people didn't care to understand my magic," she said sheepishly. "I was given the choice of leaving or having a series of guilds come hunt me down. I headed for the mountains and stumbled across Karma, who had been trapped in a cavern. I eventually got him out and we made our way to the first shop that seemed able to help us."

"Our shop seemed helpful?" asked Alivia with an air of doubt to her words.

"Well, yours was the only one open," said Karma as he remained perfectly still.

"Oh that's right!" exclaimed Camryn. "There are a lot of matches going on today, so everyone probably went to watch."

Alivia Xanthia was a devout believer in the ideals of the Scarlet Phantoms. Upon coming to Brightholt she had been left unimpressed by the other guilds. She quickly decided that the best place to nurture her Cammie's skills was with Narissa. So she and the guild master had developed a decent relationship and understanding.

"I know just how to help you both," said Alivia as she raced to the nearest telephone.

When she returned a few moments later, she wore a sly smile. The group remained quiet for a few minutes as Rook and Karma rested, but the door bursting open ended that.

Camryn's eyes widened. "Mistress Narissa!" said Camryn. "What are you doing here?"

"Your mother mentioned two skilled mages and to come quickly and alone as my mages have a reputation for putting their foot in their mouth."

Master Narissa walked straight upstairs and looked from the feeble mages resting and Alivia.

"These are the mages you promised me?" questioned Narissa.

"They're tougher than they look Narissa," said Alivia. "They survived the mountains with no supplies."

Narissa narrowed her eyes as she scanned the two mages before. "It would appear you two are in need of a helping hand. I'll make it simple, join my guild and whatever forced you two to journey into those mountains will never strike fear in you again."

Rook and Karma seemed to think it over deeply until Karma pulled himself to a standing position and then helped Rook up as well.

"I'll be joining madam," said Karma.

"As will I," added Rook.

* * *

**October 26, X791, 2:00 P.M, Coliseum Arena B**

Chel D'Amour had only been a Nova Eos mage for a few days, but she already felt at home. Something about living in a gigantic tree seemed like a dream she never had come true.

She had been a bit nervous about meeting her guild mates, but a few seconds into the story of how she had come to join the guild, Hazel and Jackie had seemingly fallen in love with her. Being able to trip up the Shaw and Junjo so much, instantly won them over and so any time not spent in the S-class quarters was spent relaxing with Chel.

The buxom beauty had been told stories of Hazel and Jackie's coliseum matches and couldn't resist signing up for a match. She had taken an hour or two the day before to sign herself up for the first available match.

When she told her friends about what she had done, they were so excited. Right until she showed them the match-up. From that moment until a few seconds ago in the locker room they and essentially everyone else in the guild had been pleading with her to change the match or bow out. Anything, but face the opponent before her. Her refusal now forced the majority of Nova Eos to sit in the stands in solidarity as they watched a fight they wished they wouldn't be.

Chel wasn't sure why they were worrying so much. So what if her opponent was strong. So what if he was ruthless. She was Chel D'Amour and nobody would stop her.

The platinum blond climbed down from her own thoughts to finally take stock of her opponent.

Before her stood another blond. He wore a devilish grin as if he was surprised someone even accepted a match-up.

"You know I'll still beat you down even if you're a woman," said Sai Nuria.

Chel rolled her eyes at the young man before her. "Yeah, whatever. You'll be singing a different song once I win,"

Sai narrowed his eyes at the girl who clearly didn't have the fear required to be in his presence.

"_I'll just have to put her in her place"_ thought Sai.

The referee came down and announced that it would be a 3 minute exhibition match.

"The following match is an exhibition style match. The first person to knock their opponent out of the arena once is the winner. The referee signaled for the outer ring of the arena to be retracted. The outer ring slowly retracted revealing the 30 foot drop into water. Also if either participant fails to win within three minutes then the match will be a draw and both participants will split the prize money of 50,000 Jewels."

He turned to Sai and began "Number 6, Sai Nuria, are you ready?"

"Start the damn match already", snapped Sai.

The referee turned to Chel and repeated his question. "Chel D'Amour, are you ready?"

"I can't wait," said Chel.

"Let's begin," he said.

Sai ignited his entire body and yelled, "Come on, let's see if you can really back up your words!"

"White Desire," whispered Chel as a nearly invisible wave emanated from her. It collided with Sai and his flames slowly died down.

Chel darted in and began her assault. Within moments, she had buried several punches in the motionless Sai. His face had been laid bare with a flurry of quick jabs.

She jumped back and canceled her spell. "Black Desire!" she barked as she closed the distance between her and the unmoving opponent.

"I thought you were supposed to be tough. You've already been immobilized by my black desire. I wonder what secret dream you're seeing twisted into a nightmare right now. It must be pretty frightening if it shut you up!"

In the stands, the Nova Eos mages watched in surprise. "Wow, she might actually win," said Jackie.

"No," responded Hazel. "He's playing her. You look closely. He's been getting hit, but he hasn't moved an inch yet."

Master Jade watched closely in preparation for what he hoped wouldn't come.

"I'm going to finish this now!" yelled Chel as she reared back her fist for one more punch.

The fist inched closer and closer to Sai's jaw until he cocked his head to the side and broke into a sly smile. He caught the fist and squeezed tightly preventing Chel from retreating.

"You tried to show me greatest desire and twist it into a nightmare," laughed Sai. "That's dark and crafty."

Sai's arm set ablaze. "The only problem is, I've already lived this nightmare!"

"Pyro Sphere!" yelled Sai as several miniature ball of fire shot out and surrounded them both. The balls of flame intensified and then slowly inched towards them, speeding up as they did so.

The coliseum watched as the fire collided with Sai and Chel. When the fire cleared, they saw Chel huddled under Master Jade's arm.

The referee came down and said, "Interference on the part of Chel D'Amour. The winner is Number 6, Sai Nuria!"

Chel eyed her opponent with a mixture of fear and anger as he walked towards the exit.

Sai stopped and called back to her. "You're something special though," he said as his eyes met Chel's. "We should do this again sometime."

* * *

**October 26, X791, 3:00 P.M, Flare Archives**

The Flare archives was a fairly large, two story library in the town square. A location that, for all intents and purposes, could be considered neutral ground. It was made of gray stone on the outside, and the roof was round and purple.

Two gentlemen stood before the large brown doorway with a "WELCOME" sign on it. They were presently engaged in an argument over which guild was the best one to join. It appeared as if they had been having this very same argument for quite some time as they weren't locals of Brightholt citizens.

"Look at the goddamn tree Rex, Nova Eos has to be the best guild to join!" yelled the sun-tanned male with shaggy light brown hair and green eyes. He was wearing a black tank top with cargo pants and remained shoeless.

On his shoulder a yellowy orange exceed named Rocket shook its head in agreement.

The one named Rex quickly responded, "Listen Finn, We've been traveling here for a while, but I told you from the beginning that I was going to join the Eternal Knights."

Rex had shoulder length hair which was mainly white, save for a couple of golden locks at the front. His eyes were a similar shade of green when compared to Finn's. He wore small diamond shaped earrings on both ears. His choice of apparel was rather flamboyant. He wore a white, golden lined coat and a light green shirt underneath accompanied by a red tie. Rex had a black and gold belt which held up his white trousers and a pair of gold, white and red shoes to match.

They pushed open the door to Flare Archives library and a silver bell jingled to announce their arrival.

"Come on in!" hollered a young lady's voice from somewhere deep in the library.

Rex and Finn walked in were instantly surrounded by bookshelves. The walls were hidden by floor to ceiling shelves stuffed with books. There was a singular aisle that led to a large, dark brown, wooden office desk with a purple and white reading lamp on it, and a comfy purple office chair where the owner would probably be found if she wasn't somewhere in the library. Behind the desk was a door that leads to a room that appeared to be locked.

The floors of the library are wooden. Towards the back of the library there was a ladder on each side of the room that led up to the second floor. It was propped up against the overhanging floor of the second level.

A young lady came hurdling out of the aisle with a cart of books and crashed into Rex and Finn.

She had chin length white hair with pale pink dye on the wave edges. Her lavender eyes were impeccable and beside her left eye was a beauty mark. Her face was roundish and her small lips seemed to naturally form a sideways 3. She possessed a simple amount of curvature and stood just over 5 and a half feet tall. She wore a white tank top under a dark pink jacket that was missing a sleeve and the other ended in a large, dark purple cuff. She also wore a dark purple and black plaid skirt that fell to the middle of her thighs, hot pink and black striped stockings, and black and purple Converse-esque sneakers with hot pink laces. The jacket was buttoned once under her bosom and the skirt was held up by a black leather belt. She wore a locket around her neck that resembled a closed book. She was undeniably beautiful.

"Oh! I'm s-so sorry about that!" she required in a mousy voice.

She was picking up the books that had been knocked over and apologizing at a mile a minute.

"It's fine, no worries," said Rex. "We actually needed your help."

She stood up straight as confusion washed over her. "My help?" she asked.

"Right," said Finn. "We've been trying to decide between joining Nova Eos and the Eternal Knights. We heard one of the only people in town who is 'neutral' would be the lady who runs the Flare Archives, Bianca Papyra. Is that you?"

The young lady shook her head yes. "Although I don't really see how I'll be able to help," said Bianca as she stacked some more books on the shelves.

"Well, we wanted an unbiased opinion on which guild is better," said Rex.

"I think you're misunderstanding the word neutral," said Bianca simply. She wrinkled her nose in thought and then continued. "I don't really think of any of the guilds as better. They all have good qualities and bad qualities just like any individual person. I mean, you wouldn't meet a person and ask them to tell you everything wrong with them."

Rex and Finn rolled their eyes at their own stupidity. "Ugh, she's right," said Finn.

"Look," said Rex. "We've had fun traveling together, but neither of is going to budge. So even if we join different guilds, it'll be in the same city. We'll still be buddies."

"Yeah," said Finn in a semi-depressed tone. "You're right."

"Well, Ms. Papyra, thanks for all of your help." Said Rex.

She smiled at them kindly and went back about her business.

"I guess we should get going," said Finn.

* * *

**October 26, X791, 4:00 P.M, Coliseum Arena A**

Rau stood a few feet away from Francheska and a few moments from the most important battle of his coliseum career. Nova Eos had already lost 3 times this cycle and with only him and Javier remaining, he definitely had to win to give Nova Eos the chance they needed to take the lead.

Francheska knew that Rau would try his absolute hardest to win this fight. This was a match up that he couldn't afford to lose and while, Sai's report made it clear that Rau hadn't reached his level it put Francheska on edge that he had been bold enough to even try. That confidence must have come from somewhere. So with a majority of the city in attendance she would have to put down Rau for her guild's sake.

The Referee turned to Rau and said "Challenger, Rau Volikia, are you ready?" To which Rau nodded his head. "Number 8, Francheska Rythmia, are you ready?"

Madeline shook her head in the affirmative.

With that the referee shot into the air above them and announced for the arena to hear. "You May Begin!"

There was a blinding clash of darkness between the two mages. Francheska had activated her Zänkerichbin and black lines slowly etched themselves into her body, while Rau had become a torrent of moving darkness and coated himself in his magic.

The two figures of dark magic seemed to float around the arena and then dart in for quick clashes; each of them waiting for the other to make a misstep. "Come on Francheska, take me seriously!" yelled Rau.

His words got the better of him and left Rau a split second off in their clash. A fist promptly landed in his gut, the force of it slowly taking him off his feet.

She jumped behind the slowly rising Rau and spun into a roundhouse kick to the back of his head.

Rau skidded across the ground and lie still for a moment.

"Challenger, Rau Volikia, are you fit to continue?" were the next words he heard from the referee.

"Yea, yea. I'm fine," said Rau as he stood to his feet.

"Point to Francheska Rythmia!" announced the referee.

"That was my mistake," said Rau as he stretched a bit. "Won't happen again."

"Dark blade!" yelled Rau as darted towards Francheska and formed a blade of solid darkness in his hand.

He swung at her, but each of his attacks was easily sidestepped.

Rau stepped back and then jumped forward in a piercing motion. Francheska decided against dodging anymore and caught the blade.

"Gotcha," said Francheska coldly.

"Guess again," responded Rau quickly as dark magic took shape around them. "Dark Prison!"

The darkness converged on them and imploded sending both of them to the floor.

With both of them down, the referee check on both of them and then announced that a point would go to both sides. "The current score is 2 points for Francheska Rythmia and 1 point for Rau Volikia!" boomed the referee's voice. As the combatants stood once more he said, "You may resume!"

"Okay Francheska, I'll take this up a notch," said Rau as he took off his weighted coat. He dropped the coat revealing his muscular physique.

Francheska sped towards him, but was met with a surprising equally fast Rau. They match each other blow for blow.

Where Francheska landed a punch to his face, he'd land a kick to the abdomen. When she'd manage a punch to the gut, he'd connect a boot to the chest.

Slowly Francheska broke a smile. She was enjoying herself.

But, Rau's new found speed combined with his already impressive physical strength got the better of her.

He landed punch which sent her careening across the arena. Without giving her a chance to react, he jumped in the air above her and barked "Hollow storm!"

A condense form of dark magic formed at his fingertips and then shot down on her in a hail of bullets.

The crowd erupted in cheers as the referee verified that she could go on and announced that both combatants were tied at 2 points apiece

"Die Seele begrenzt wird mich gewinnen meinen Sieg!" yelled the angered Francheska. The black lines on her body slowly turned red. Her magical power became more sinister and climbed to unnatural heights. It was clear that the technique wasn't something she preferred to use as the red lines slowly dripped blood.

Before he could react anymore, Rau was sent flying by a nearly un-seeable kick to the face.

He jumped to his feet, and was met with a quick series of jabs before a leg dropped onto the back of his head with enough force to crack the ground below him.

He was struggling to get back to his feet as he tried to keep an eye on Francheska. She had stopped her assault as something caught her attention.

Rau caught a glimpse of the object of her attention and his eyes went wide. She currently held an ornate gold sphere. "How'd you get that?!" yelled Rau in anger.

"It fell off of you, while you were being tossed around," said Francheska simply.

"Give it back!" yelled Rau. "That was a gift from my father before he passed."

"A gift?" questioned Francheska. She tossed it into the air and as it fell back down to her, she pierced it, shattering the sphere into countless fragments.

Before Rau could even feel anger at her actions the sphere's destruction sent a small ripple throughout the arena. From Rau's perspective everything seemed to come to a halt. Then he heard something more spine-tingling than he had heard in a long time.

His father's voice emanated from an ethereal form of the sphere.

"Rau, if you're hearing this, then a terribly powerful curse has been brought on you," said his father's deep voice. "My life has only brought you misery and even in death it seems I will bring you pain. Your darkness magic is, but a mere child's perversion of my own magic. I was once the man deemed capable of casting a shadow on darkness itself. In death, I left this curse to you in hopes that you'd take a different path than the one I did and redeem our tarnished name."

The ethereal sphere was breathed in by Rau and he heard his father's voice one more time.

"Show the world the true power of the Lux legacy."

Time resumed and Rau stood watching Francheska playfully stepping on the larger sphere fragments.

"That's enough Francheska!" boomed Rau's voice.

His anger built inside him until a he felt something he had never felt before. It was as if he was choking on the rage within him and when he couldn't fight it any longer he screamed in agony accidentally unleashing a torrent of dark energy at his opponent.

The force of the blast left the arena shrouded in dust and when it cleared both Rau and Francheska lay on the ground until they both began to stir. Inch by inch they climbed to their knees. Then by just a fraction of a second the lacrima referee saw Rau's reach his standing position first.

"Match point, Number 8 Rau Volikia!" called the referee.

The arena erupted in at the outcome as Nova Eos mages flooded the arena. Francheska was helped out of the arena by her brother.

The Nova Eos guild had finally begun to turn the tables. With Rau taking the 8th spot, Francheska was moved to the 9th, Christina was moved to the 10th spot and Sou Tsubaki had lost his placement.

* * *

**October 26, X791, 6:00 P.M, Rogim Town Manor**

"A whole day!" shouted Kenneth. "We've been walking down this damn staircase for an entire day."

"There's no need to get so frustrated," said Melody. "I'm sure Vado is doing his best to try and figure out our next move."

Vado looked around at the group with a bewildered expression on his face. "The Great Vado!... is lost."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_**Special Thanks:**_

Special thanks to Raiyane

Special Thanks to all of the readers. If I haven't told you yet, I appreciate you all reading, reviewing and subscribing more than you'll ever know.

Special Thanks to Reven for his wonderful characters.

Special Thanks to The Imposter for all of their help as well.

Special Thanks to MyDearWatson and Dreadburner94

**How's it going?**

Thank you all so much for being patient with me.

The cliffhanger is one of your fellow reader/writer's fault. I keep falling for their review teasers, so now everyone gets to have my payback…

Apparently, I've got to repeat this from last time "I just want to remind you, that unless it's directly related to a story line or the match-up is a dead give-away (In which case I do speak to the creators), all coliseum match winners are randomly generated. This applies to rank matches as well. Please don't hate me if your character loses a match. It's not like I'm just flipping a coin, but it's all up to luck. Oh and in advance, please don't tell me that you believe your character's magic should have easily defeated another character's magic. Keep in mind, someone somewhere put work into that magic, just like you."

I had to develop a more sophisticated way of randomly generating matches as well as Nova Eos apparently has terrible luck.

A lot of you wanted the Adrienne/Madeline fight. It'll happen one day, but I hope you enjoyed her premiere fight.

I want you all to be completely honest with me about anything that comes to mind. If you have an idea or a critique or I'm messing up your character, please let me know and we'll work on it.

As I mentioned, you're free to draw your OCs and send in an image. This offer extends to all three of my stories. I've gotten a few already and they're all great.

If you ever find yourself curious about when a chapter is going to be released, the tentative date will be on my profile.

OC submissions are closed for this arc.

_**Entirely Unrelated**_

For readers across all three stories, be a bit more patient as I complete chapters for them as well. Thank you.

**S-class openings update:**

S-class positions closed

So all mages henceforth would be joining the guild or would be a regular member.

I'd prefer to get submissions from people who never submitted before. But don't be afraid to send me an OC if you come up with one.


	9. Entertainment

**Author's Note:**

Hey everybody. I'm glad to be back. A lot of you sent me a lot of kind words and checked in. Means a lot. There's some news after the chapter. It's really important... No I'm not canceling the story. Haha. Enjoy

* * *

**October 26, X791, 6:00 P.M, Rogim Town Manor**

Vado's team had been walking down the seemingly endless staircase for an entire day. It had crossed everybody mind, but the staircase couldn't possibly be this long or descend this far.

Vado was sure they had been stuck in some sort of loop; he just couldn't have made a move until he found the loose thread that would undo it.

"Around every 3 hours a light is somewhere in the distance. That's the exit," said Vado calmly.

He stopped to look at the bewildered expressions on his comrades' faces and remembered he hadn't told them he figured out the exit hours ago and had simply been lost in thought.

"Every 3 hours?" asked Kenneth. "When did you realize that?"

Vado scratched his head in thought. "Do you really want the Great Vado to answer that?"

The group sighed and then resigned their frustrations. "So do we need to get to that light or hit it or something?" asked Korianne.

"Hmm, I'm not sure," said Vado. "I believe we must hit it from here, but it could simply be a failsafe that kills us if we touch it," he added calmly.

"I believe it would be foolish to act without further analysis," said Marionette. "We should fly over and examine it."

"Ehh, The Great Vado doesn't think that's necessary," chimed Vado. "Let's just shoot it,"

Vado scanned his large group of mages for possible candidates who could handle a long range target and his eyes landed on Damien and Lily. "Can either of you accomplish this task?"

"I think either of us could probably pull it off," said Damien. "But I think Lily's got enough to worry about right now with her companion, Crystal, missing. I'll do it."

The group waited a bit more and a light suddenly appeared just as Vado had said.

"Diamond Make: Arrow," said Damien calmly as his magic molded into a bow and arrow. He fired the arrow and for a moment it could be heard sailing through the darkness until it hit its mark.

There was a deafening pop sound and then the light and darkness faded away. The group now found themselves at the end of a staircase that led into a rather large laboratory. The room was a mess and there were notes of different experiments tossed about the room.

Whoever had worked here seemed to have lost their mind and slowly, but surely lost touch with reality. On the far side of the room, Damien's arrow could be seen wedged in a box on the wall.

"Ah, so this was the cause of our long descent," said Vado. "Nicely done Damien," he added with a quick pat on the back.

Towards the back of the room was a door that led to another room. Upon entering, they found themselves in a gigantic Testing area. The walls and floor seemed to be made of silver colored titanium of some sort. The ceiling reached up high and illuminated the room.

Lily let out a shriek when her eyes landed on what was at the opposite end of the room. There were three giant sized test tube containers each labeled I-39 from which it seemed likely that the giants were born. While two of them were empty, one of them contained a young lady connected to a strange breathing apparatus and surrounded by water.

"Crystal!" yelled Lily as she darted across the room.

In an instant, Vado stopped her. The group looked on in confusion at Vado.

"Let me pass!" yelled Lily as she tried to free herself from Vado's grip.

"If I do that you could die," he said calmly. He unraveled the whip at his waist and cracked it at the container that held Crystal.

The whip came within a few feet of the container before it activated a defense mechanism of some sort and the portion of the room which held Crystal's container was sprayed with a gas.

"How'd you know?" asked Marionette. "There was no way to tell something like that would have happened."

"I didn't know," said Vado simply. "Call it a hunch or call it experience. Never lose your cool on a mission. Always stay alert. Out here your life is actually in danger if you make a wrong move."

Vado looked down at Lily. "We'll save her. Don't you worry."

A moment later, the owner of the raspy voice appeared through a doorway on the other side of the room. A man with a very gaunt appearance came forth. He wore a long lab coat and his brown skin seemed sickly and malnourished. While Vado's absurd height still allowed him to tower over most people, the man was quite tall himself standing just shorter than Vado.

"How dare you all come into my house and disrupt my work!" yelled the scientist in a crazed voice. "You'll pay the price just like the rest who came to stop me!"

"Where are they now?" asked Melody. "Where are the townspeople and mages who tried to stop you?"

The scientist eyed Melody for a moment and then rolled his eyes. "Didn't I already answer that?" he asked with a sly grin on his face. "They became the fodder for my experiments. But since you all broke my prototypes, I'll have to replace them with you."

"I'll start with this town, but soon everyone will acknowledge my work. Desol Emacio will become a name that people respect!" he concluded with a shout.

"Without the giants here you don't stand a chance," said Damien.

"Normally that'd be true!" yelled Desol as he pointed at the container possessing Crystal. "But I've finished the culmination of my research thanks to your shape shifting friend, I've perfected it."

"Shapeshifter?" asked Marionette. "Crystal's a shapeshifter?"

Lily stay glued to Crystal, but acknowledged the question with a slight nod.

Desol pulled a syringe out of his pocket and jabbed the needle into the side of his neck. A few moments passed and then the veins in his body could be seen convulsing and tightening.

"Ahhh!" screamed the scientist in agony and then he fell face-forward and lay quietly.

"Did he kill himself?" asked Lily.

"Oh come on? That was way too easy," said Damien.

"No!" yelled Vado. "Whenever someone says that, the bad guy always comes back."

The group stood in fear as they watched Desol's body for a few minutes.

"Or maybe 'The Great Vado' is also crazy," teased Kenneth. "That guy just injected himself with who kno-"

A deafening Roar came from the once lifeless Desol Emacio as he stood to his feet.

Vado looked over his shoulder at Kenneth and chuckled. "The Great Vado is never wrong."

"Definitely not the time to be right!" yelled Korianne and Melody.

Desol Emacio tore off his lab coat revealing his near skeletal appearance. Every bone in his body could be heard snapping and grinding as they reshaped. His face grew more drawn by the second until the skin itself tore, showing the bone beneath it. All over his body, his bones were exposed and then slowly they were covered again. The muscle in his body slowly wrapped itself around the bone.

As his transformation came to an end, the group stood in shock. Nearly his whole body was dark as night. He seemed to have grown shorter during the reformation of his bones. His most shocking change was the possession of another pair of arms.

In each hand he held a different type of magic. Fire, Water, Diamond, Lightning.

"Oh shit! Four arms, really?!" exclaimed Vado. "The Great Vado is too tired for this."

Vado looked around at his group. "I know I said you all would handle this, but I don't think any of us can fight him alone in our condition. The seven of us will work together to tear him down."

Moments after Vado finished talking; Desol darted forward and connected his diamond encrusted fist with Damien's chest. The force of the blow sent him flying across the room towards the entrance.

"Sonic Hertz!" yelled Melody instinctively.

The sound spell seemed to paralyze Desol for a moment and then he simply shook it off and dashed towards her.

"Clockwork Art: Juggernaut!" barked Marionette as her armor coated her petite frame. She caught the flaming blow intended for Melody. "Hurry and move out of the way Melody," said Marionette.

"You will go down!" she then yelled as she unleashed her own punch only for it to be caught by a diamond encrusted fist.

With two of his arms and both of Marionette's locked in a power struggle, Desol used his free arms to unleash a flurry of water and lightning punches on the armored girl.

"Water Jets!" said Korianne.

"Water Phoenix Shards!" added Lily.

The water techniques collided with Desol and sent him sailing across the room.

"Companion: Rudolphus!" barked Kenneth as his ethereal wolf came forth.

It howled immediately and forced lightning to rain down on Desol.

The mad scientist was on his knees, but showed no signs of defeat.

"Ahhh!" roared Desol. He stood to his feet and rushed back towards the group of mages until he was sent careening by a punch from Damien.

"Attacking by ourselves won't do anything to him!" Yelled Vado. "We've got to coordinate together."

His fists now covered in diamond, Damien shouted, "Diamond Make: Katana!" as a katana took shape in his hands.

"Obsidian Knight's Broadsword," said Vado, forcing the dark blade to manifest in his hands.

Both mages stood side by side as Desol regained his composure.

"Nice sword," chuckled Damien.

"I honestly must say, the Great Vado is jealous of your sword," he responded.

Desol slowly became more and more feral. He darted towards them on all fours and engaged the two swordsmen.

Damien and Vado slashed at him and Desol didn't bother dodging. He took slash after slash and seemed unfazed as a black liquid began to slime its way out of every cut.

The mad scientist swung wildly at them forcing them to block his four armed assault. They'd block or dodge a flaming fist and then dart in to quickly cut him.

"This isn't getting anywhere, we've got to help somehow," said Korianne.

"You're right. We'll combine our long range attacks and hopefully that will slow him down long enough to land a fatal blow," said Kenneth.

Kenneth and Rudolphus prepared a rain of lightning, while Lily and Korianne blasted their combined water attacks at Desol.

"Get out of the way guys!" yelled Korianne.

The Water attacks mixed with the lightning to create a paralyzing torrent of energy. It rained down on Desol stopping him in his tracks for a moment.

In that moment, Damien and Vado each darted in and managed to slice off an arm.

When Desol came to, he howled in pain. His grotesque body attempted to heal itself, but couldn't. In a bout of frustration it unleashed its remaining magical energy and used its two remaining arms to create a singularity of Fire and Lightning.

"He's going to kill himself with us!" yelled Vado as he quickly pulled everyone in towards himself with the whip.

"Shadow Cage!" Barked Vado as his sword dissipated and formed into a room just big enough to fit everyone inside.

There was a singular cracking sound and then the little room shook ferociously from the explosion.

A few moments passed and when Vado undid the room, everything in the battle zone was seemingly destroyed. Everything but the containers.

Desol lay on the ground in agony. His transformation seemed to have ended and his body was feeling the effects of battle.

"I just… wanted the world… to know me," gasped Desol in his final breath.

"Whew!" exclaimed Vado with a huge smile on his face. "That could have been pretty bad."

"Crystal!" yelled Lily as she ran across the room towards her companion.

Upon close inspection, the young girl in the giant container had simple features. She was quite pretty. In the container she was wearing a patient's gown.

"How do we get her out of there?" asked Marionette.

"We could just break the container, right?" said Damien.

"Worth a shot!" said Kenneth.

The group cracked the glass portion of the container and the water drained out. With Lily trying to resuscitate her and Korianne attempting to heal any visible wounds, Crystal woke shortly after being rescued by the group of mages.

"Are we almost done with the job, Lily?" asked Crystal meekly.

Lily burst into tears and threw her arms around the young girl in happiness.

After taking a moment to catch their breath, the group carried Desol's body out of the room. With his device disable, they found the day long trek up the stairs to be no more than a few minutes.

Once outside, there were several sighs of relief among the group.

"Haha, I really wasn't sure if I was ever going to see the sun again," said Damien as he took note of the sunrise above them.

"With the Great Vado around everything was sure to work out," said Vado. "Plus you're pretty good yourself, Damien."

The group explained what had happened to the townspeople. They broke the news about the other people who had gone in before them. After resting for the morning, the group set out again.

"So where will you two be going now?" asked Kenneth.

"I'm not sure about Lily and Crystal, but I was thinking I'd come back to Brightholt with you guys," said Damien. "I want to get stronger and if Vado wouldn't mind, I think the best person to train me would be him."

"What about you Lily and Cryst-" started Kenneth before he found himself scanning the group for Crystal. "Where'd Crystal go?"

Lily wore a look of confusion until she realized the group wouldn't know. Walking just to her left was a small grey cat. Lily smiled before giving her explanation.

"Crystal can shape shift," said Lily as she motioned towards the cat. "This is how she usually appears."

"The Great Vado is impressed," said Vado as he picked up Crystal and the small cat settled on his head.

"As for your question," said Lily as she wrinkled her nose in thought. "I owe everything to you guys. So I'd like a chance to pay you back by joining your guild."

"Alright!" cheered the group of Brightholt mages before they realized they belong to different guilds. "Um," started Marionette. "There are actually three guilds back home. We all belong to different guilds."

"Eh!" said Lily and Damien in Unison. "I guess we'll figure it out when we get there," added Lily.

* * *

**October 27, X791, 10:00 A.M, Scarlet Phantom, Narissa's Office**

Narissa was currently awaiting the arrival of two mages. One was Sou Tsubaki. She was curious to see the results of having undergone Rosca's punishment. The other was Alex Roderick, a young man who was 23 years old. He had requested time off in an effort to help his family with a personal problem, but Narissa believed he had long since overdone his allotted time off.

Moments after finishing a document, the door to her office opened and the latter of her two appointments walked in. Alex had a very stocky build. He stood just under 6 and a half feet tall and was easily the most physically imposing person one would normally meet due to the dense bulging muscle underneath his clothes. His crystal green eyes were blocked by his dark sunglasses. Alex' black hair was short and spiky. He had picked up a tan from working outside quite often, but it was illuminated by a small floating orb of light.

Alex Roderick had always been the most flamboyant person in the room. Today he wore a pink dress shirt and a black sleeveless sweater vest. He had on a matching pair of black dress pants and shoes with a colored necktie. Atop his spiky hair sat a black fedora hat with a red band and a white bird feather.

"Sorry I'm late Madam," he said as he quickly shut the door and stepped towards her desk. "I sort of got side tracked at home"

"You've always got an excuse Alex," said Narissa coldly. "No matter. Your time off is over."

Alex's eyes widened in shock. "I thought I would… My family still needs me!" he shouted.

"That doesn't matter to me," said the guild master. "Do you take me for a fool? I've allowed you more time away than most of the guild combined. I have a feeling we'll be needing everyone's skills very shortly."

"But what about my family?" he asked in a defeated voice.

"You'll be able to support them just fine in the coliseum or on jobs," said Narissa. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of her depressed subordinate. "It's not as if you'll not see them ever again. I'm simply saying you're a member of this guild and you should do your part."

Alex shook his head and then turned to the exit. Once he exited, Sou Tsubaki entered. His only visible scar from Rosca's punishment was the sling his left arm rested in. But everyone who knew Rosca, knew that an injured arm paled in comparison to what punishment actually entailed; Sou bore new scars that were unseen to an untrained eye.

"I take it we won't be having any more problems?" asked Narissa.

Sou dropped to one knee immediately. "No, madam," he said calmly.

"I hope you never have to go through that again, Sou," she added. "I hope no one does. We simply can't afford to fall behind the other guilds. We can't afford to show any weaknesses."

She raised him up and embraced him a hug. "No more mistakes Sou," she said in a menacingly mother-like voice. "I've scheduled a match for you tomorrow. A match you will win."

"Yes, madam," he said quietly.

On the other side of the Scarlet Phantom Guild Hall, the Rythmia Siblings were currently resting by the Koi Pond. Francheska was resting in a small cot while her brother stirred a bowl of soup. Aeden had watched his elder sister's match with pride, right up to the moment where she knowingly destroyed her opponent's trinket.

He couldn't wrap his head around that look in her eyes when she tore at someone else's memento. Was his sister always so dark? When did she just hate?

"Why'd you do it?" he asked quietly.

Francheska couldn't answer. For her it felt like in that moment, she should just tear at Rau's happiness.

"I was alone for a long time Aeden," she said sharply.

She was searching for a way to justify what she had done, but she knew. She knew there really was no reason to have treated Rau the way she did.

"That doesn't mean you should step all over people for the hell of it!" shouted Aeden.

Francheska's eyes widened at the sound of her brother's anger. He was right.

"You know," she said. "For a long time I envied you. You were younger than me and had all the power and promise in our clan. They looked at me like a sick dog. Then everyone was gone and I was alone. I had no one left of my own to love or hate. So I hated everything else."

"It's not an excuse," said Aeden. "And you're not alone any longer older sister."

"You're right," she said as a smile broke on the tired mage's face. "I'll try and remember that from now on."

"Alright. Now eat this soup I made," Aeden said triumphantly.

"Ok. O-" said Francheska before she shuddered at the memory of her brother's failed attempts at cooking as children.

"Hey, hey. I don't think anyone will ever be hurt enough to try your cooking!" yelled Francheska as she struggled to avoid Aeden's food.

* * *

**October 27, X791, 10:00 A.M, Nova Eos Tree Guild Hall**

"Sou Tsubaki vs Kayden Wary?" pondered Master Jade aloud to an empty room.

He had received the request moments after Sou's ejection from the top ten. But no matter how he tried, he couldn't piece it together. Why would Narissa request this match up? What would she gain from either outcome?

He knew her too well to think this was a spur of the moment decision, but he would be given no time to react to it. Jade had been the one to push Kayden to sign up for a match. It was an impulse decision, but Jade was certain that some healthy combat would be good for Kayden. Being wrapped up in Narissa's plans certainly had the opposite effect.

"You'll get old even faster if you keep thinking so hard," said a voice that startled Jade.

The guild master looked up to see Auron.

"How long have you been standing there?" he asked.

"Long enough to know you ought to relax before you end up worrying to death."

"I don't have time to relax," said Jade. "If what the mayor said is true, then I need to be ready for the worst news. Have you heard any news on Rau's situation?"

"It's as we thought," said Auron. "He'll recover with no problems in time, but the magic inside of him is denser that what he is used to. It'll take time for him to gain control over it again."

"If I had known, I would have had him be more cautious," said Jade.

"There's no use dwelling on the past," said Auron. "Besides, I've got good news and bad news."

"Oh man, give me the bad news first Auron."

"Fine," said Auron. "I'll be leaving in about 15 minutes."

"What!?" yelled Jade. "You're leaving?! You didn't say a word. You never even mentioned plans to leave and what the hell do you mean by 15 minutes."

"Are you done?" Auron asked calmly. "I've got to take care of the project we discussed."

"Jeez, no need to be so secretive," said Jade after he calmed down. "If you had told me in advance we could've celebrated or something though."

"One of us has to be secretive," said Auron as he eyed his oldest friend. "The good news is that in ten minutes two mages that I encountered on my travels will arrive with hopes of joining your guild."

"Eh? You should have started with the good news first!" said Jade excitedly as he ran out of his office and headed for the exit. "I can't wait to meet them."

Auron shook his head as he turned to follow. "You always ask for the bad news first."

Jade and Auron rushed through the guild and burst through the front doors only to find two mages in the process of knocking.

One was a young girl who couldn't have been more than 14 years old. The lightly tanned skin, petite girl stood a few inches over 5 feet tall. Her silky pitch black hair was tied in high pigtails. Her bright hazel eyes had small grey specks. Just beneath the right eye was a beauty mark. Her puffy beige shorts ended just above her red and blue striped knee high socks. She wore brown sandals, a white tee that revealed her belly button, blue suspenders, a black cape, and red fingerless gloves.

She pointed her thumb at her chest and said, "This one's name is Chiyori Rubes."

Her eyes landed on Auron and she jumped passed Master Jade catching Auron in a vice-like hug.

"Chiyori is happy to see you Mister Auron!" she yelled.

"I am happy to see you as well Chiyori," said Auron as she settled down.

"It's nice to see you as well, Roger," added Auron when he noticed Chiyori's companion had yet to speak or move."

Roger Diederic was 19 years old. He stood just over 5 and a half feet tall He had brown skin, a fierce looking face with large-fox like eyes and small black pupils. His most noticeable feature was his large, wild, black hair that looked like an unkempt lion. His crooked smile made him seem like he had a few screws loose. He had a sleeve tattoo of two koi fish and ocean-waves on his right arm and a simple peace sign tattoo on his left wrist. He wore a white baseball tee with blue-sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His low-rise skinny jeans were black and his High-Top Sneakers had red-and-white checkered prints and white laces.

"I've told you a million times old man. My name is Rocket."

He turned around to show the back of his jersey and printed there was 'ROCKET' with '74' underneath. He had a long-black strap than ran across his chest, and at the back the strap held a Black Baseball with one Neon-red line going downwards and a bat with a white line.

"Ah, of course," said Auron. "Chiyori, Rocket. This is Master Jade."

"Master Jade," said Chiyori. "Mister Auron said Chiyori would have lots of different adventures if she decided to come here. Is that true?"

"Hmm, I don't think it's possible to not have an adventure here," said Jade. "What about you Rocket? How'd he convince you to come here?"

"He mentioned strong mages and a lot of different things to keep me entertained," said Rocket.

"Well then, I'll be going Jade," said Auron.

"Take care old friend," said Jade.

"Chiyori is sad Mister Auron is leaving already," said Chiyori. "Even Rocket was looking forward to seeing him again."

Auron's eyes went wide for a bit. "Oh, you were, were you?"

Rocket's face twisted to a scowl. "It's not like I'd have minded either way," he quickly said in his defense. "You just don't know how to stay put."

"Hahaha!" laughed Jade. "They know you well, Auron."

"Yeah, Take care of him Rocket, Chiyori. Master Jade is my oldest friend."

The master and the two newest Nova Eos mages watched as Auron walked off and out of sight.

"Well how about we get guild marks and paper work done, so you can take the tour," said Master Jade.

After what felt like eternity for the two newest high-strung mages of Nova Eos they had finished the paper work.

"Now where do you want your guild marks?" asked Jade with a huge smile.

"Right here in golden-yellow," said Rocket as he pulled his sleeve down and pointed at his shoulder blade.

"Chiyori wants it in Lavender on her thigh!" shouted the excited teenager.

"Hazel!" yelled Master Jade.

Within a few moments, Nova Eos' strongest mage stood ready with a stamp and a huge smile. Her long brown hair was pulled back today and her own green guild mark could be seen on the right side of her neck.

She placed the marks and shot them each a huge smile. "Welcome to the family!" she shouted. Then if by magic, the guild erupted in celebrations as the other mages poured out of every room to welcome their new guild mates.

The ground floor was swallowed up by noisy crowd and carried towards the elevators.

"Oi!" That's a really cool bat!" shouted Kai.

"You're so cute!" added Hazel.

Then just like that the group carried them into the elevator and away. On the ground floor, only Hazel, Jacqueline, Kayden and Javier remained.

"You nervous Kayden?" asked Javier.

"Nope, I'll be fine," said the green haired boy. "I've been training really hard and who knows I'm probably stronger than you by now."

"That's great," said Jade. "Because I want you two practicing the rest of the night."

"Seriously!" shouted Javier in shock. "Jackie and I were supposed to go-"

"Nope!" shouted Jackie as she pulled Hazel behind her and shot off towards the elevators. "You had no plans."

Jade stared at Javier for a moment.

"I won a bet and she was supposed to cook dinner for all of us," said Javier as he hung his head in defeat.

On the dorm floor, Chel was showing Chiyori a vacant room.

"So I'm right next door. If you need something or you're lost, just ask and I'll help," said Chel.

Chiyori had huge smile plastered across her face. "Chiyori's glad we're neighbors," she said.

The girl's sincerity caught Chel off guard and for a moment she didn't know how to respond.

"Did Chiyori say something wrong?" asked Chiyori. "Sometimes she make mistakes and-"

"You're perfect," Chel interrupted with a slight smile, instantly sparking another of Chiyori's vice-like hugs.

Rocket had a huge mob of people showing him around. It instantly became clear, that he was a famous athlete from Crocus. What started out as a simple statement from Shaw, turned into a full on panel from the other members.

"You sorta look just like this athlete from Crocus," said Shaw.

"I used to play for a regional team," said Rocket absentmindedly as he began placing his belongings in his new room.

Within moments, the room was bursting at the seams with the intrigued members of the guild.

"Hey!" shouted Junjo. "Give the man some space, he's not going anywhere."

Soon everyone, but Shaw and Junjo had dispersed.

"Hey, thanks for that," said Rocket. "If I'd have known they were going to get a little crazy I would have lied."

"No need to worry about it, said Shaw. "We're all just really excited to meet more members so quickly. We've had a lot of people joining left and right."

"No one cares about that right now Shaw!" shouted Junjo angrily. "What we really need to know… Is how many ladies have you sweet talked with that pro-athlete line?"

A quick punch from Shaw sent him flying out into the hallway.

"Eh, sorry. He can be kinda crazy," said Shaw. "He's really a good guy."

To Shaw's surprise, Rocket burst out in laughter. "He's not half bad," he chuckled. "I think old man Auron was right. I'm gonna like it here."

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. They turned to the doorway to find the mage named Finn Dragiern. He had joined the day before after a final disagreement with his traveling companion about which guild in Brightholt was better.

The shaggy haired mage walked in with his exceed on his shoulders. "Hey, I'm your neighbor, Finn and this," he pointed to his exceed, "is Rocket."

The mage named Rocket perked up at the coincidence. "My name is Rocket."

The exceed atop Finn's shoulder hopped to a fighting stance and said, "No, I'm Rocket."

"You can both be Rocket," said Finn and Shaw simultaneously.

"No, it doesn't seem like the cat thinks I can be Rocket."

"Nope, I'm Rocket. Rockets fly. Can you fly?!" shouted the exceed.

"No, but I'll send you flying soon enough!" shouted the mage.

"Ok," laughed Finn. "Let's not get out of control Rocket."

"He started it!" shouted both Rockets.

The room was dead silent and then Shaw fell to the floor in laughter.

"I was talking to my Rocket," said Finn as he stifled his own laughter. "We'll catch you guy later. I'm gonna go get some food."

* * *

**October 28, X791, 2:00 P.M, The Coliseum, Arena C**

Kayden Wary stared across the arena at his opponent, Sou Tsubaki. In all honesty, even never imagined he would be fighting Sou. At least not now. Kayden was sure of one thing, despite Sou's current losing streak in the arena he was definitely the more powerful of them even with his arm in a sling.

However, the gap in power was not enough to persuade Kayden to bow out of his match. He had been working to get stronger and this match would be the first step in showing everyone just how strong he could be.

The lacrima referee descended and began his announcements.

"The following match is an exhibition style match. The first person to knock their opponent out of the arena once is the winner. The referee signaled for the outer ring of the arena to be retracted. The outer ring slowly retracted revealing that it usually covered a 30 foot drop into water. Also if either participant fails to win within three minutes then the match will be a draw and both participants will split the prize money of 50,000 Jewels."

He turned to Kayden and began "Kayden Wary, are you ready?"

"Yup!" shouted Kayden as he pulled his key out in preparation.

"Sou Tsubaki, are you ready?"

"Yes," the raven haired mage responded.

With that the referee shot into the air above them and announced for the arena to hear. "You May Begin!"

"Gate of the Crimson Harpy: Open!" shouted Kayden.

The winged creature materialized, "I'm ready to assi-"

The arena went silent. A moment after she had been summoned, a beam pierced the celestial being's chest.

Kayden's eyes traced the beam back to its source and found it attached to Sou's arm.

With a flick of his wrist the beam shifted and threw the harpy to the ground.

"I'm sorry Master, I must return," she managed before dematerializing.

"How could you?!" barked Kayden.

"You summoned her to the battlefield. You did this. You were too weak to fight alongside her," said Sou calmly.

In the crowd Sukki, Sou's companion, sat in shock. The small girl shook in fear at the sight of her closest friend's new demeanor.

"Gate of the Golden Harpy: Open!" shouted Kayden as tears poured from his eyes.

A golden harpy appeared with lightning slowly emanating from its body.

"Zeo! Don't take your eyes off him!" shouted Kayden.

The harpy dove towards the shadow make mage. "Feather rain!" it shouted as lightning imbued feathers crashed down on Sou.

When the dust cleared, he lay bruised and battered. "We did it!" shouted Kayden. "Nice job, Zeo!"

The harpy turned to smile at its master, but saw the mistake that had been made. Sou had somehow managed to get behind Kayden.

The Sou on the floor deteriorated into nothing, but a shadow clone.

"Master!" it screamed as it dove towards him.

Kayden turned to dodge Sou, but was too late.

"Shadow-Make: Dagger," he said quietly as his fist closed in on Kayden's chest.

The last second warning from Zeo had given Kayden enough time to avoid a fatal blow and the dagger plunged into his shoulder leaving Sou wide open.

"Lighting fawkes!" shouted Zeo as the harpy's body contorted into a golden lightning and collided with Sou.

The coliseum watched in awe as the shadow and lightning twisted about one another until the lightning lay still and reverted to its harpy form. Sou took shape with his first clasped firmly about the harpy's neck.

"Like I said, You're too weak Kayden."

"Gate of the Harpy Knight: Open"! Yelled Kayden.

When his magic settled he resided in a bland armor.

"Master!" shouted Zeo. "We don't have enough magic or practice to maintain that."

"Don't worry about that Zeo. We'll win."

The harpy dissipated and then moments later, Kayden's armor turned a golden hue. Slowly lightning emanated off the armor.

"That's impressive, but it's obvious you can't hold that form for long," said Sou. He took a second to get a feel for Kayden's magical power and added, "I was wrong about you, you've actually got some power to back it up."

"You've always been an asshole Sou, but right now you're over the edge," said Kayden. "I'm gonna put you in your place.

"Shadow make: Gatling Gun!" shouted Sou as excitement crept in.

The shadow bullets ricocheted off the armor and Kayden began a dash toward his opponent.

Kayden swung a lightning fist at Sou and it crashed into Sou's Gatling gun arm.

Kayden's physical strength was currently something to marvel at, but Sou's raw magical strength was more than enough to allow him to go blow for blow with the armored Kayden.

The more they clashed, the more Sou began to enjoy himself until slowly he broke out into laughter. It wasn't the disturbing happiness he had become accustomed to, but a genuine enjoyment for the battle he was in.

Then it happened. Just as they were about to clash once more Kayden's armor cracked and all of his celestial summonings dissipated. The shadow make fist was on its way down and Kayden braced for its impact.

But none came. He unclenched his eyes and saw the fist inches from him.

"It wouldn't be any fun, if I beat you like that," whispered Sou as his face turned into a scowl. "Work on that form, next time I want to see who'll actually win."

Kayden looked at the clock counting down. It had a few more seconds left and in that moment he smiled up at Sou and collapsed from fatigue.

"The winner is Sou Tsubaki!" shouted the referee.

At first the crowd hesitated, but eventually it erupted into applause and died off once more from shock.

Sou Tsubaki, a mage from Scarlet Phantom began to help Kayden Wary, a mage from Nova Eos to his feet.

He extended his hand to Kayden and once the shock wore off, Kayden shook it.

The crowd erupted once more.

As Sou exited the arena entrance tunnel, he was met by Master Narissa, Sukki and the Crimson Trio.

"While, I'm pleased you won your match, do you mind explaining what that last part was?" asked Narissa.

"Why did you not finish off your opponent?" asked Madeline.

"You clearly outclassed him," added Cerise.

Sukki stood behind her companion. "You've had it wrong this whole time, Master," said Sou much to everyone's surprise. "Crushing them, belittling them, showing no weakness. It does the exact opposite of what you want it to do. When you stand toe to toe with an opponent and give it your all, it's impossible to not understand their feelings. Just there, I understood what our actions have caused. We've spurred on quite possibly the biggest underdogs in Brightholt History and given them every reason to succeed."

With the crimson trio becoming visibly angry and threatening, Sou snapped. "What?! Do you think I fear you three? You're no better. You treat the guild less like a family and more like an organization built on devouring its weaker parts. We have to start building up our family instead of tearing them down."

Narissa was furious. How could her own mage talk back to her like this? What could he even mean by what he was saying?

"Rosca was right," Sou said quietly forcing shock from everyone.

"You're leading this guild down a dark path. That's what he said," added Sou. "He's content to watch you burn it all to the ground, but at the very least I won't have a part in it. I'll always fight my hardest for the guild, but I won't be stepping on people any longer just because you believe they're beneath us. I'll fight toe to toe with everyone I can and become stronger than ever before."

"Sou Tsubaki," said Narissa as she seethed with anger. "Do you believe I won't punish you for this outburst?"

"That's right," said Sou calmly. "Rosca made one other thing clear. A Bell Kin is coming and if Scarlet Phantom is to make it out unscathed, you'll need all your mages at their best."

Sou turned down the long arena tunnel and walked away. "Come on Sukki!" shouted Sou and the young companion happily followed.

* * *

**October 29, X791, 4:00 P.M, Eternal Knights' Guild Hall**

"Tally!" screamed Master Seigfreid. "What do you think is taking Vado so long with Sundae ingredients?"

Tears were streaming down the little old man's face and then Tally popped up from behind the bar covered in dust. "I've looked everywhere Master," she cried. "There's no more left."

"You two are insufferable," said Lucia quietly as she rubbed her forehead and walked away from the table she and Aoba were currently at. "Vado still isn't back and he has 4 mages who aren't S-class with him, 3 of which aren't even from our guild."

She stomped over to the old guild master and began the same argument she had been giving since she found out the arrangement Vado had procured.

"How could you be so irresponsible? You're the master. You could have easily said 'No'. Now if something happened to them, we'll be held responsible for everyone."

"But Lucia," he whispered. "The sundaes."

Lucia felt something snap in her mind and then she got extremely calm. "If Vado comes back, he's a dead man," she said with an odd calmness followed by mindless giggling.

Christina walked in and shook her head. "Oh, so she's lost it, Aoba?"

"Yup," Aoba quickly responded.

The front doors burst open and Vado walked in with Korianne.

"The Great Vado is ba"- he managed before a bar stool crashed squarely into his forehead.

"Why must I be treated so poorly by the coliseum brat as soon as I get back," he managed to say with a busted lip.

"How could you be so irresponsible? You're an S-class mage. You could have easily not taken the mission. Now if something happened to them, we would have been held responsible for everyone."

Slowly other Eternal Knight mages gathered and watched from the balconies.

"I know I've only been here a few days," said Rex Vermend to Gimon, another new guild member. "But I feel like that's all she's been saying."

"I concur," said Gimon.

"That's Lucia for ya," said Marco as he exited his bedroom. "I guess she means well."

"You're right, Lucia," shouted Vado much to everyone's surprise. "But what's most important… Is I got the Sundae ingredients!" he shouted as he revealed a bag.

Master Seigfried's eyes lit up and he floated over to the bag immediately only to be distracted by the people behind Vado and Korianne.

"Hello?" the old master said inquisitively. "Who might you mages be?"

Before either of them could answer Vado interjected. "The Great Vado did such a great job on the mission; he figured he'd do some recruitment while he was at it."

"Ohho!" shouted Master Seigfreid as he patted the tall mage on the back. "Well done. Lucia should take a few notes."

"Lucia should do what!?" screamed Lucia and then she got quiet once more. "I think I'll take a nap Christina." She added as she fell back, asleep, into her friend's arms.

"She's been up the last few days worried about you all," Tally said as she began mixing ingredients for sundaes.

"Hmm," thought Vado as a smirk spread across his face. "Just what I'd expect from the Coliseum brat."

"On to more pressing issues," said Master Seigfriend. "Your names dears."

"I'm Lily," said the green haired mage. "This is Crystal."

"And I'm Damien," Damien quickly added. "We sort of worked together with Vado after he and his team rescued us and thought it might be for the best if we came back with him so we could get stronger."

Master Seigfried broke out a wide smile. "Tally!" he screamed. "We'll have to make more sundaes."

* * *

**October 31, X791, 7:00 P.M, The Coliseum, Main Arena**

Now, it had become clear that for the remainder of this cycle, the possibility of a top ten match was unlikely. That alone was enough to pack the arena with mages from every guild. But the prospect of two dragon slayers going against each other drove people crazy. There definitely were more powerful mages out there, but something about two dragon slayers clawing it out had this coliseum packed.

All throughout the arena, the guilds were trying to quickly explain the concept of the coliseum to their new members. Scarlet Phantom look on comfortably as no matter the outcome they would be fine. The Eternal Knights believed in Marco's ability. Nova Eos would, no doubt be on the edge of their seat for the entirety of the match as they tried to inch higher in Brightholt's hierarchy.

"The Match type for today is 'Three Times Fallen'," said the referee. "The winner is decided when their opponent has been knocked to the ground three times."

With Javier and Marco already out in the arena grinning and staring each other down, the tension in the arena built.

The Referee turned to Javier and said "Challenger, Javier Montero, are you ready?" To which Javier nodded his head. "Number 7, Marco Seifer, are you ready?" Marco smirked and said "Yup."

With that the referee shot into the air above them and announced for the arena to hear. "You May Begin!"

"Ice Dragon's claw!"

"Sound Dragon's claw!"

Both mages collided with one another and the arena shook.

They jumped back and then darted in again unleashing a flurry of punches on one another.

Where Marco punched, Javier deflected and where Javier kicked, Marco dodged.

Their exchange went on for a few moments at near blinding speed. Then they both planted a foot down for solid footing to push through a forceful punch.

Both fist collided with their target's cheek and they went flying across the arena in opposite directions.

With both of them down, the referee moved to announce a point for both sides, but both dragon simply rolled out of the collision and slid to a stop.

"I guess that's enough feeling each other out!" shouted Javier as he spit blood from a cut in his mouth.

"It's probably for the best!" Marco answered as he wiggled his jaw in an attempt to get feeling back.

Javier jumped to the air and came crashing back down.

"Ice Dragon's Crushing Fang!"

Marco rolled out of the way and Javier obliterated the ground he stood on. From the wreckage and dust, he darted out at Marco.

"Ice Dragon's Claw," he yelled.

"Sound Dragon's Roar!" screamed Marco forcing Javier to duck out of the way.

"What's wrong Marco? I must be doing pretty good if you had to use your roar," chided Javier.

Marco stood to his feet. "You could look at it the other way. You had to dodge my roar, so you must be pretty worried."

Javier chuckled and then jumped just above Marco dropping his leg as he descended. "Ice Dragon's Spiraling Talon!"

Marco blocked the kick from above, but the force ruptured the ground beneath the two of them as he tried to withstand its force.

Marco kicked off the ground forcing himself loose and landing them across from one another again.

"How about I get a bit more serious?" Marco taunted.

"Sound Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Echo Night."

It was in this state, that Marco's speed, his reaction time, and his accuracy surpassed other slayers. The crowd and everyone around him seemed to be slow, maybe even lifeless. It was quiet and all that mattered was his target.

"I'm sorry about this, Javier," he said a moment later as rose from behind Javier. The crowd erupted in excitement of the move they couldn't see.

Javier fell to his knees and hit the ground with a thud. Marco looked down at his friend and the referee came over to announce the point and inspect Javier.

Then suddenly, Javier shattered into a million pieces of ice.

"Ice Dragon's Roar!" yelled Javier from below as torrent of ice burst through at his opponent.

It took minutes, but eventually the crowd quieted down. From up in the stands, Vincent from the Eternal Knights was attempting to explain to Aoba and Tally what had happened.

"I don't understand," said Tally. "How'd Javier explode into a million pieces and then use a roar while in pieces."

Vincent sighed. "Ok, for the last time. What Marco broke was an ice clone. He was beneath the ground the entire time."

"Well, that much is obvious," said Aoba. "But when did he do that?"

"When he crashed into the ground earlier and then darted out of the dust cloud. He had sent an ice clone out instead and began tunneling beneath the arena."

Javier caught his breath after having been underground for a few minutes. He could hear Nova Eos cheering his name from in the stands. Jackie, Junjo, Shaw, the master, everyone was cheering him on.

Then the ice began to crack. "You got me," said Marco as the ice slowly broke away. "I have no idea how you fooled me. I should have been able to hear your heartbeat from beneath the ground."

"I could never be as fast as you Marco, but I figured I could try and match you in strength in intellect."

"I mimicked my heartbeat in the clone and then used my ice to slow my own heartbeat down till it was nonexistent," explained Javier.

Marco laughed in admiration of his friend. "I suppose that's a solution only you could have come up with. We're still tied at 0 points though."

He finished breaking away the ice and stepped forward until he was near the center of the arena. Then he released more magical energy.

_'He can still get higher!_' thought Javier.

"Let's go," he shouted and then he dashed towards Javier at a speed even greater than before.

They continued to match each other blow for blow until, Marco's speed got the better of Javier, the difference becoming more and more noticeable until Marco kicked him towards the edge of the arena leaving a tremendous amount of space between the two of them.

"Be ready Javier. No more games. Clone or not I'm coming at you," said Marco.

In a panic, Javier prepared his own spell.

"Ice Dragon's Secret Technique Sacred Horn!"

His body coated in ice and his arms froze into swords. He darted towards Marco and heard the words he'd hoped weren't coming.

"Sound Dragon' Secret Technique Cellular Pulsation!" Marco clapped his hands together and his magic vibrated through the arena, shaking the ice until it shattered and sending Javier crashing to the ground.

The referee checked on him. "Challenger, Javier Montero, are you fit to continue?" were the words Javier heard, before he felt Marco's hand pulling him to his feet.

"You good, bro?" he asked.

"Yup," Javier said as he shook his head and tried to get his bearings.

"Alright, cause we've got more to go."

"Point to Marco Seifer!" announced the referee.

Both slayers returned to their place on either side of the arena and awaited the referee's signal.

A few seconds passed and no such signal came. The crowd began to stir and then each guild master knew what had happened.

In a flash all three of them were in the arena.

"Master, what's happening?" asked Marco.

"That was just going to drag on forever," said a voice as the Arena elevator lifted a stranger and the mayor into the arena.

Beside the short, round mayor stood, a man a few years young than Narissa. His blue hair fell calmly to the sides of the part in the middle. He had matching blue eyes and his face was slightly narrow. He was undoubtedly a handsome man when he put effort into his appearance. Currently, he wore a pair of black dress shorts that were covered in dirt. He had on a black tank top and an ocean blue overcoat draped over his shoulders with a name across the back.

"Who is that?" asked Adrienne from in the stands.

"That is the Mayor's son, Eli Clark. A Bell Kin by the name The Collector."

Adrienne couldn't take her eyes off the man. It had become clear to her since arriving in Brightholt, a blood pact artifact user could sense other users once they were aware of the sensation. It was how she had known what Madeline wielded. The feeling seemed to scale with the users mastery and power of their own artifact. And while Madeline's was intimidating, the man who stood in the arena below them felt as if it was an ocean that would swallow her alive.

"Can you really not feel that?" asked Adrienne.

"Feel?" asked Alice. "You mean he has a blood pact artifact?"

"Definitely," said Adrienne.

On the other side of the arena, Madeline sat perfectly still. Beside her sat Fuyumi. The girl who idolized her. The girl who wished to be as strong as her. The girl who spent every hour of every day by her side or training.

Madeline wondered what this girl would think of her, if she knew that for the first time in her memory, Madeline felt fear.

"The match was taking too long," said The Collector.

"These boys were in the middle of a match, brat," said Master Seigfried angrily.

"You really never learn to hold your tongue," said Eli. "Careful, one day I might just take it."

"I haven't reached this far in life for an insect to think he can frighten a lion," Seigfreid answered coldly.

"As much as I love a good back and forth, what do you want?" said Master Narissa just as people began to file out of the coliseum.

"I found something interesting and I wanted to see who wanted it more. Neither me, nor my associates can use it. So I figured one of the mages could use it."

The Collector pulled a small fist sized cube from his pockets.

"It's a blood pact artifact in contract form," said Adrienne in a whisper.

"You must pull these things from hell itself," said Master Jade. "I don't wield one and I can feel that aura emanating from it."

"Well, that's how it is," said Eli. "I'm ending this coliseum season now and starting next week, your mages should prepare for a tournament I've cooked up."

"What about our match right now?!" shouted Javier.

"Javier, don't!" shouted Master Jade.

In the blink of an eye, Javier was on his knees.

With the match over, the mages began jumping into the arena beside their masters.

"I've paid off the viewers of this match to leave, so I could tell you all everything privately," said Eli. "Everyone, who isn't in the top 10 or S-class will partake in a special tournament where the winner will receive this cube."

He eyed Javier who had been helped to his feet by his guild mates. "You'll participate in a separate tournament. All Top ten members or S-class mages will partake in a separate tournament with a prize of my choosing."

"What if we refuse?" asked Master Jade.

"No such thing," said Eli calmly. "You should know by now. I own this town. You're my entertainment."

He looked his father, the mayor and added, "Even the mayor can't stop me. I do as please because it's my money that keeps this town afloat. It's my money that allows all of this to continue working. At a whim, I could have your guild dissolved. I could prevent any mage from ever returning to this city. I don't do that though. I only request you participate when I say to."

"You're a dark one, brat," said Master Seigfried. "We'll participate, but I'll make sure you don't get your way. We're leaving everyone."

The Eternal Knights followed him out of the arena.

"To think someone of such potential would find satisfaction in toying with people's lives. You really dropped the ball here Mayor Clark," said Jade.

"True, said the Mayor. "But is as he says, I am powerless to stop him and not throw the city into chaos."

With the Nova Eos mages exiting, Narissa and the Scarlet Phantoms remained.

"I don't appreciate being toyed with," said Narissa.

"No, you appreciate toying with people," The Collector quickly shot out.

"Fine. We'll play your game. And you'll learn not to take us lightly again."

When all the mages left, The Collector and The Mayor remained in the middle of the arena.

"It's been a while since I've seen you, son," said the Mayor.

The Collector turned and began walking out of the arena.

"That's because I don't enjoy looking at disappointment."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Special thanks to Raiyane

Special Thanks to all of the readers. You're patience with me has been astounding. Thank you very much.

Special Thanks to The Imposter for being incredibly helpful.

**How's it going?**

I want you all to be completely honest with me about anything that comes to mind. If you have an idea or a critique or I'm messing up your character, please let me know and we'll work on it.

And with that, the introduction arc is finally complete. I'm really excited for the next arc. When you all voted for it as the next arc I couldn't wait. You may have noticed there was mention of a tournament in the coming chapters. I can't draw for my life, but on my profile I'll have a link to a deviantart profile in which I'll have a tournament tree showing who is set to fight who and other interesting things for Brightholt.

Someone pointed out to me that a difference between fanfiction and manga is that there's no community. It made sense at first, but I'd really like to prove them wrong. If you all were interested in me setting up a forum on this website, I'd be interested. Just something to think about.

As I mentioned, you're free to draw your OCs and send in an image. This offer extends to all of my stories. I've gotten a few already and they're all great. I'd actually really love to have pictures for everybody, so if anybody who can draw feels generous and has free time, I'll be forever grateful if you'd draw some.

If you ever find yourself curious about when a chapter is going to be released, the tentative date will be on my profile.

OC submissions are closed for this arc.

**Entirely Unrelated**

The Bad News: It seems the worst has come to pass. The Knights of Fiore will be canceled. Several characters have been retracted due to the wait caused by a combination of my health, technical issues and unresponsive readers whose OC were set to be pivotal to the story.

If you want to retract any of your characters or lore you are more than welcome to do so. I never wanted to be in this position and while I'm fully aware of my part in this result I know now that I'll have to be more selective of who I accept OCs from in the future. It goes against everything I pride myself on, to go back on my word in this manner, but here we are. I can't apologize enough to you all.

General News: I now, without a doubt, possess the ability to update on a more regular basis. However, to make it a bit more interesting, a friend suggested I do a weekly poll. So each week, all of my interested readers across both of my stories will vote for the story I'll update that week. The poll will have random numbers, so no one knows what they're voting for and after a few days I'll close the poll and find out what was voted for. They'll be 7 numbers to choose from, three for each story to give each one multiple chances and then one where I pick. That said I'll make sure to update one if it falls too far behind. So depending on what you guys vote for in the next few days, I'll be posting a chapter July first, then the eighth and so on.

Good? News: Once the dust has settled on Knights of Fiore and I see who has allowed me to retain their submissions, I'll be attempting to create an original Fairy Tail story from the pieces. This means, I'll be attempting an Alternate Universe where a majority of the story of Fairy Tail hasn't occurred yet or never will, but only the lore which I've received has taken precedence. This story will be unique in just about every way if it happens and I hope you'll be a part of it.

**Thanks for reading.**


	10. A Challenge for the Rookies

**November 2, X791, 12:00 P.M, Scarlet Phantom Guild Hall, Narissa's Office**

"Nope. Not interested."

These were the words that the room full of mages heard from Rosca. Currently Master Narissa, the Crimson Trio, Achilles Nexus and Rosca were all in her office. She had been trying to get ahold of Rosca since The Collector made his appearance in the coliseum.

"What do you mean you're not interested?!" barked Cerise. "We all have to participate. There's no other option."

Rosca cocked his head to the side and his mask shifted to a subtle aloofness as he plopped down onto Master Narissa's desk.

"Yes," he said simply. "We could all just not participate."

"You insolent man!" snapped Narissa. "If we don't participate, we'll be forced out of Brightholt."

"So?" he asked forcing shock from everyone in the room. "We could always just move the guild elsewhere or if it came to it, just dissolve the whole thing."

"You're a mage of Scarlet Phantom!" she shouted as magical energy leaked out in anger. "You'll do your duty and-"

She was cut off as Rosca hopped to his feet. "My duty?" asked Rosca as the eye slants in his mask narrowed. "Even now, you don't get it. You don't have soldiers here."

He walked about the room eyeing the mages who had been gathered for this meeting. "He's going to pit us against one another and for his amusement we'll beat each other down."

He lifted a finger at Madeline. "This shrimp was in a small tournament the last time The Collector was here and barely made it out."

Madeline bit her lip in anger. It was true. She had won the last tournament if it could be called that; a small collection of 4 Brightholt mages fighting within an inch of their last breath.

"And why is he even here?" asked Rosca as he gestured towards Achilles.

"I've been given the opportunity to fight alongside the S-class mages," said Achilles as if responding to a commanding officer.

"Is this for real?" asked Sai. "I hadn't even noticed he was in the room, but if he's really participating in a tournament like that, he'll likely get torn to bits."

"Yes. It's true. The Collector realized shortly after choosing Javier to participate, that he wasn't S-Class," sighed Narissa. "So he figured balancing things out would be as simple as choosing someone from both Scarlet Phantom and the Eternal Knights who isn't S-Class to also participate."

"Achilles will do fine," said Narissa. "I'm certain that he'll make Scarlet Phantom proud."

There was a knock on the door and Fuyumi entered carrying an envelope.

"The Collector delivered this for you Mistress Narissa," she said quietly.

Narissa opened the envelope and as she scanned its contents, her eyes went wide.

With a flick of his wrist, the envelope was in Rosca's hands. Narissa was too shocked to respond.

He read it over and slowly his curiosity got the better of him. "If he's participating then the offer certainly is too sweet to pass up," he said as he exited the room. "But if any of them die, it'll be your fault Narissa. You could've stopped this."

Sai picked up the letter and read the title aloud for everyone. "S-Class Tournament Bracket?"

His eyes scanned for what could have cause such a change in Rosca so quickly and then there, at the bottom of the letter. Achilles Nexus vs. Vado Boin.

* * *

**November 2, X791, 1:00 P.M, Nova Eos Training Center**

Currently a majority of Nova Eos was in the depths of the Tree Hall training.

It had taken some time for the situation to sink in, but eventually every Nova Eos member, new and old, felt the same. They truly loved being in their guild and didn't want that to change. So they'd fight. They'd fight in whatever craziness The Collector threw at the mages of Brightholt.

Even after Master Jade made the danger clear and that he'd hold no one responsible if they didn't want to participate, every mage stood by him and agreed to get stronger. With that singular thought, they'd been training non-stop.

Flora and Angelo were two new guild members who also shared in the sentiment. Both mages were currently lifting free weights as Flora tried to fight past her confusion and ask Angelo a question that had been bugging her.

It had been weighing on her for a bit and the raven haired beauty eventually blurted out "So why are you participating!?" she unintentionally yelled.

The shock caused Angelo to drop his weights, narrowly missing his foot.

"W-why'd you y-yell Flora?" he asked in a timid whisper.

Flora looked around to see if anyone had caught her outburst. "It's just," she started. "It's just you didn't want to participate in the coliseum before."

Angelo's eyes were glued to the ground. He was never nervous around Flora, but trying to explain his decision made him feel as if he was boiling from the inside out.

"Master Jade's already been so k-kind to us. To m-me," said Angelo. "Y-you were always going to be great Flora, but he didn't have to take me in too. I-I-I think protecting your h-home when it's threatened is the right thing to do. So I don't want to, but I'll f-f-fight in the Coliseum."

He picked up his weights and his eyes met Flora's once more. She wore a huge grin now. "You're really growing up," she said kindly as she resumed her training.

Over in one of the sparring rings, Chel and Junjo were currently sparring in simple hand to hand combat. Her loss to Sai had shaken her a bit, so the platinum blonde enlisted the help of Nova Eos' resident lady's man in an effort to improve her hand to hand skills.

"_If my magic fails, I need the strength to take on any opponent!" _thought Chel as she darted in at Junjo and tried to bury her fist in Junjo's stomach.

A quick duck and Chel's fist just barely skimmed the top of Junjo's head.

With her abdomen exposed, Junjo connected a fist with Chel sending her flying across the arena.

"You've gotta stay focused," said Junjo as he wiped sweat from his brow. "If you just run in, you'll leave yourself wide open for stuff like that.

Chel climbed to her feet and she sent the blond man a piercing glare. "I know how to fight! Thank you very much," she shouted.

"Yeah, I figured as much," said Junjo as he grabbed a hand towel and tossed it towards Chel. "But if you're gonna fight in a tournament with mages, it'll take more than anger to win."

"Who says I'm angry!" she shouted once more.

"Uhhh. No one?" he said, knowing he'd put his foot in his mouth. "It's just that Sai's pretty strong. You shouldn't let him get under your skin."

Before she could respond, a voice behind her interrupted them.

"Chiyori thinks you look pretty angry," said Chiyori happily as she hopped onto the edge of the ring.

With that, Chel's mood seemed to change instantly.

"Chiyroi!" yelled Chel as she excitedly ran over to the teenager.

"Seriously," Junjo whispered to himself. "Maybe I should avoid the crazy ones."

From afar Master Jade watched his mages training. He could see Javier and Rau giving it their all in one ring. He knew that Hazel and Jacqueline would be training in the S-class quarters. Even mages who had only just joined his family were giving it their all.

"_If it comes to it, I'll protect all of you. No matter the cost,"_ thought Jade.

* * *

**November 2, X791, 2:00 P.M, Eternal Knight's Guild Hall**

"Ha!" teased Lucia. "Seems even the great Vado isn't above the coliseum like he thought."

Vado Boin wore a solemn expression on his face. True, he had decided never to participate in the coliseum. It went against things he believed to be right. On the other hand the guild full of mages, who had just finished listening to Master Seigfreid's news, was his family. If he were to be selfish here, then the guild would have to move out of Brightholt at the very best. But to go against something he believed to be right, would bother him in a way he couldn't describe.

Vado looked over at his floating guild master. No words were needed here. He had been with the master for a long time and so, Master Seigfreid need not even say that no one would blame him for not participating. He need not say that they would always be family. No, no of those things were necessary. His guild master only awaited the yes or no, so he would know how to proceed.

"_No, Master Seigfreid,"_ thought Vado. _"I won't leave everything to you."_

"I'll do it!" shouted Vado much to everyone's surprise. "What kind of man leaves his family to suffer when they need him most? Not the Great Vado!"

The guild erupted in cheers and celebrations. Eventually lifting up Vado and carrying him around the guild in celebration.

A simple nod of the head from Master Seigfreid and Vado was all they exchanged; a small gesture of appreciation between master and mage.

Vado looked over at Lucia, who seemed to be dumbfounded and relieved by his decision.

"Coliseum Brat!" he shouted before his expression turned into a devilish grin. "It looks like you'll get to see some real magic in action."

"I guess I should be happy," she said to Master Seigfreid. "Ugh. I can only imagine how much bigger his head's gonna get."

"Now!" shouted Vado to his guildmates as they tossed him higher in celebration. "Someone should put me down, because the Great Vado… is nauseous.

* * *

**November 3, X791, 2:00 P.M, East of Brightholt**

"Hey Fraulein?" asked Aeden from his seat atop a small boulder. "You're not nervous about your match, right?"

The Rythmia siblings were using their spare time to train. Both of them were just outside of Scarlet Phantom's territory. To the Rythmia siblings it always felt more natural training outdoors than indoors. Plus it meant they didn't have to worry about fixing what they broke.

"I'm nervous," the elder sister replied sighed. "But I think I stand a chance. No matter how strong Marco is, he can't be unbeatable."

Francheska's arms were lined in her magic's black markings. While her magic remained as menacing as ever. There was a subtle difference in it now, than in her last use. Her aura itself seemed a bit warmer, if only slightly.

As she focused her magic into her fist once more and took aim at the lake before them, Aeden smiled, closed his eyes and thought back to when they had played as kids.

He had been really worried when he saw his sister fighting. Even before she wronged Rau the way she did, her aura was vicious it was unrecognizable. But as she was now, it was almost like they were back home.

"Oi!" Francheska yelled as she knocked the younger Rythmia from his seat. "If you're gonna fall asleep in the middle of training, you should go home."

"Ow!" yelled Aeden before his eyes landed on the remains of the lake. "No way," he said dumbfounded.

His eyes shifted from his sister to the lake and back and forth.

"The lakes gone!" he yelled. "How'd you do that?!"

"I don't know, but having you back feels like everything's at ease now," she said. "I can feel it in my bones. I'd lost my way, but now my magic is whole."

Aeden smiled at his sister.

"_If they could only see you now,"_ thought Aeden.

"What'd you mean by home?" asked Aeden.

"Hmm," said Francheska absentmindedly. "I meant the guild."

"Is that really home?" he asked. "Why stay when Mistress Narissa is obviously losing it?"

Her magic released quietly and the markings receded. "When I thought everyone was gone they gave me a home," she said. "I don't expect you to fight for it or understand, but I-"

Aeden cut her off and said, "It's fine. If it's home for you. Then it's home for me. Plus I'm itching for a fight myself."

Francheska smiled to herself before turning to face her brother. "Alright then, you lazy bum!" she yelled as she knocked him over the head once more. "Then let's get back to training."

* * *

**November 3, X791, 2:00 P.M, Town Square, Magdalena's S-Class Terrace**

Lucia, Hazel, Jackie and Korianne were currently enjoying a quiet meal before Jackie gave into her frustration.

"Why do have to fight Korianne!" she shouted. "How is that even possible?"

"Well," said Korianne shyly. "I guess successfully completing an S-class mission with Vado probably affected the decision in some way."

"Ugh," said Jackie. "There's just no way I can fight someone as sweet as Korianne."

"Why do you two get a fight against those sociopaths and I could never hit Korianne," she added.

"It is a dilemma," said Lucia. "But I brought Korianne here, because she had something she wanted to say. You should say it before you lose the nerve Korianne."

The shy mage swallowed her nerves and then spoke. "I know you'll want to take it easy on me because you're really kind, but I don't think you should do that," said Korianne. "I'm going to try my hardest for my guild so I think you should do the same."

"But what if yo-" started Jackie before Hazel cut her off.

"That's enough of that," she said. "You should know that we all want to protect our guilds. If Korianne had the guts to say that, then you shouldn't disrespect her by talking her out of it. It isn't fair to her."

Jackie sat in thought for a moment. "Ok," she said as she came to terms with her opponent's decision. "I'll give it my best also."

Korianne's face lit up in excitement. "Thank you Jackie."

"Haha, alright!" shouted Hazel as she jumped to her feet in excitement. "Let's get something to sweet to celebrate!"

* * *

**November 3, X791, 4:00 P.M, Town Square, Nova Eos Tree Hall Bar**

"Alright, I need a drink," said Master Jade as he scanned the guild for potential drinking partners before coming up empty. "Damn Auron for leaving just before this ass hat came to town."

The Guild Master was under considerable stress. Even if the mages of every guild accepted the fact that they would have to fight in the coliseum, that still had no bearing on what actual dangers they would face.

He had no means of actually protecting them, short of interfering in a match, disqualifying the mage and facing The Collector's whimsical wrath.

"Damn that Eli!" he yelled aloud shocking most of the guild.

"It'll all work out," said Kenneth as he hopped the bar and began pouring drinks for them both. "I don't really know how, but it will."

Jade took hold of the drink and eyed Kenneth over the rim of the glass. He had watched Kenneth grow from a boy to a young man and it always felt as if he and the others were his actual children. It was a feeling that Master Seigfreid had spoken about years ago and he understood it now.

"_What are you thinking now?" _thought Jade as he wrestled with the situation.

"This whole city," said Jade as he turned to Kenneth. "Has become a slave to this game."

"What does that mean?" asked Kenneth.

"Three guilds. One Coliseum. A Competition. The city eats it up," he said dryly. "And now we're at the beck and call of a sociopath with the strength to back up his craziness."

"How strong can he really be?" asked Kenneth. "I'm sure any of the guild masters can take him or at least be on par with him."

"True. If it came down to physical strength, we'd all be able to go head to head with him. But Bell Kin are special in that their strength extends beyond magic and muscle."

"How so?" Chel asked as she walked up to the pair and peeked over the counter for something to drink.

"We're standing in a guild that doubles as a tree," Master Jade said in a matter of fact voice. That's a feat only a Bell Kin could have accomplished. We guild masters have a different role in this city. We protect those we call family selflessly. Bell Kin, no matter how kind, are all whimsical in pretty much everything they do. The Collector, The Architect, The Harbinger, and all the rest; they come and go simply because they can. And when it comes to people like The Collector, only someone like him can fend him off."

"So why did Auron leave?" asked Chel as she poured a drink for herself.

"Yeah, why did he leave with no warning," said Kenneth as he pulled the drink from Chel. "No way you're old enough to drink."

"Oi. Oi!" shouted Chel as she bent slightly to reveal a peak of cleavage. "I'm sure one drink won't hurt anybody."

He downed the drink with a straight face. "Haha," he chuckled. "I'm not Junjo. As you were saying Master Jade."

"Auron's working on something precious to Nova Eos. Until I hear from him I will not say any more about it. It could put him in danger to reveal his mission," said Jade."

"Ooh, sounds interesting," said Chel.

_They're good kids, but I can't involve anyone other than you in this Auron. I've got to keep up everyone's spirit,"_ thought Jade.

A smirk spread across his face.

"_That's right," _thought Jade. _"Why am I sulking before we begin?! We are Nova Eos!"_

"Eh. If you two have got time for stories, you should be training!" yelled Jade as he grabbed them both and tossed them over to the elevator.

"We'll win," said Jade quietly. "Without a doubt."

* * *

**November 4, X791, 3:00 P.M, Eternal Knight's Training Ground**

"That's sloppy!" yelled Lucia as she watched Rory just barely dodge an attack from Lily, one of their new guild mates.

Christina, Tally and Aoba watched as the pair dueled and Lucia coached; Rory channeling one of his drakes and Lily using her phoenix slayer magic.

"To think she was a phoenix slayer," said Christina with a mark of surprise on her face. "I've never even seen a phoenix."

"Hehe, you've never seen a djinn either," chuckled Tally. "I'll be they're beautiful."

"If they're beautiful, why slay them?" Christina quickly asked.

"Hmmm," said Tally as she took a moment to think. "It's not that simple. Sometimes, a lot of complicated things just happen."

"Anyhow. It looks like that last mission really rattled her and Crystal," said Aoba. "But I guess that's just the danger of traveling mages."

"Yup," added Christina. "She had no idea how difficult the job was until it was too late."

Rory and Lily's attacks clashed once more and Lucia could be heard cheering on their progress.

"I'll give her this though. She decided that her last brush with magic was to close for comfort and as soon as she was rested, she turned to Lucia for help," said Christina.

"That's more like it!" shouted Lucia once more.

"Demeter's Pasteur!" shouted Rory forcing the training ground to become entwined in vines and plants.

"Water Phoenix's Flood!" barked the green haired teenager as water poured forth and drowned the field and then the field froze and shattered.

"Yosh!" cheered Lucia. "We're getting there. Now just do it a hundred more times!"

"She's insane," said Aoba quietly.

"Tell me about," said Christina.

* * *

**November 7, X791, 7:00 P.M, Coliseum Main Arena**

The coliseum was packed. With not one seat to spare, the citizens had been pouring in for the better part of an hour for the anticipated opening round.

Eli Clark stood in the middle of the arena and seemed to be waiting until the entire city managed to squeeze in.

"Ladies and Gentleman!" he started. "Today marks the beginning of what is sure to be one of the most momentous tournaments in Brightholt history. Now, I realize there'd be no point in having S-class mages and 'regular' mages battle it out so I've split them up into two different tournaments. The opening S-class matches will follow a simple one on one format, but I, in my wonderful intellect, figured we should have the other mages work for our affections. So I've split the remaining mages up into groups of four!"

The arena erupted in excitement as the Bell Kin talked, but up in the mage seating each guild master remained unmoved.

"They've been randomly arranged and selected by yours truly. And as an added bonus, I'll be commentating on the matches."

"Ugh," said Master Narissa. "Nobody likes a man who enjoys his own voice."

"I'm a fair guy," said Eli. "Success is rewarded and Failure is punished."

From the arena, his eyes met with each of the three guild masters. "The winner of this tournament will receive a prize as promised. Now I thought long and hard about how to decide on a loser and a brilliant idea came to mind. I'll give each guild one hundred points. If an S-class mages loses, their guild loses 10 points. If a regular mage loses, their guild loses 5 points."

His eyes narrowed and he continued, "Any guild that runs out of points, will be dissolved."

It was almost serene. The crowd cheered blindly in the face of one of their guild's possible demise. They seemed desensitized to the entire idea, but every mage now sat perfectly still and silent. The full threat of The Collector had come into view. A quick tally of all the points available made it clear that each guild did indeed run the risk of dissolution should they fail in both tournaments.

"The regular mages will participate in group matches consisting of 4 mages each. Each group will have 2 winners who will move on to the next round."

The arena elevator rose, four mages came into view and Eli began introducing them.

"Ladies and Gentleman, meet Group A!" He shouted.

"Alice Sable!"

"Damien Stones!"

"Adrienne Byrne!"

"And Angelo Dienzo!"

"With their guild on the line, let's see which guild will be the first to take advantage of these handicaps!" shouted The Collector. "Begin!"

In a flash he was above the competitors in the arena, hovering in an adult sized orb. "I'll be commentating from up above!"

"He said begin right," started Adrienne. "So are we just supposed to fight until the last one standing?"

"I-I hope not," stuttered Angelo.

"Oops," said The Collector. "I forgot the best part. The Winner of each of these group matches will be decided by whoever collects the keys first!"

"What keys?" Alice asked.

Then as if to answer her question there was a loud pop in the center of the ring. A singularity appeared and slowly became larger and larger until it popped once more and a Great Vulcan stood in its place.

Master Seigfreid's eyes went wide in shock. "A Great Vulcan, they've been extinct for years," said Seigfreid. "That brat, forget losing. Their lives are in danger."

The arena went wild at the sight of the primate-like creature that easily stood 4 times taller than any of the mages in the arena.

"There on his ears!" yelled Damien.

The other mages strained their eyes, until they too saw a key hanging from each ear.

"He can't be seri-" managed Adrienne before she sped out of the way of the Giant Vulcan's hand.

She drew Ares and in a flash was eye level with the beast.

She swung his sword at him only for it to bounce off his tough skin.

"Oho, looks like the little mage's sword isn't sharp enough!" shouted Eli.

The Eternal Knight mage was then met with a fist that sent her flying.

She hit the ground and kept tumbling from the force until a giant golden hand caught her.

"Let's not try that again!" shouted Alice as her stone cherub retracted its hand.

Her other hands were currently locked with the Vulcan's, each trying to force the other back.

"Yosh!" shouted Damien. "I'm gonna knock it out in blow."

"Diamond Make: Fists!" barked Damien as his hands covered in diamond.

He ran in at the Vulcan and buried punch after punch in the giant only for a tale to swipe at him and send him sliding over by Adrienne.

"We'll have to attack together," she said. "

"Definitely," said Damien as he turned to call out to Angelo. "Hey, are you able to help?!"

"Y-yes," stuttered Angelo. "But I've got to be attacked by another element first."

"Okay. Alice is buying me time to build up more magic to increase my speed," said Adrienne as she watched the two giants locked in a battle of strength.

""Requip: Adapt Armor," he said meekly as a pure silver armor took shape around his body and a bladeless sword formed in his hand.

"Oh, I get it," said Damien as he ran over to the Nova Eos mage.

"Diamond Make: Katana!" he said quickly then he tapped the bladeless hilt and Angelo's magic quickly took effect. His armor shifted into one made of vibrant diamond and his hilt grew a sword of diamond.

"T-Thank you," said Angelo.

"Finished!" shouted Adrienne as she focused her magic into Ares.

The three mages then darted towards the giant Vulcan to assist Alice.

Adrienne's speed reverberated through the blade forcing it to vibrate at an obscene speed.

Ares met the Vulcan's side and cut through it with ease forcing a scream from the beast.

With no means to avoid an attack, the vulcan's foot crashed into Adrienne and sent her flying away once more.

"Adrienne!" screamed Damien.

"Probably not the best time to get distracted," said Eli.

The Vulcan had disengaged Alice and turned its attention to Angelo and Damien.

A fist came crashing down on Damien only to be blocked by Angelo. With his whole body clad in diamond, he easily withstood the blow and kept the Vulcan's hand pinned to him.

Damien took in the scene. If not for Angelo, he'd have been flattened.

"Keep him there!" yelled Alice as he stone cherub moved into position. "We'll take him down together."

The golden hands came crashing down on the Vulcan's head one after another.

"Ooh, it looks like the little mages beat the Vulcan," said The Collector.

When the dust cleared, Alice held one key in her hand.

"We've got out first winner!" said Eli slyly. "She made a quick grab in that chaos, how shifty. Can someone like her even be trusted?"

Alice stood before Angelo and Damien. "Please don't think poorly of me," she said between tears. "I didn't want to, but our guilds are also on the line so I had to even though we worked as a team this whole time."

"Yeah, yeah," said Eli. "I'm sure they believe your story."

Then in a flash, Alice was out of the arena and up in the stands.

She scanned her surroundings and found herself beside Master Seigfreid.

"Master, was I wrong?" she cried. "I didn't want to, but for the guild I had to take a key during the first chance I had."

"No, child," he consoled her. "You did what you did for the sake of the guild. I'm sure they won't hold it against you."

"_Curse you Eli! _thought Seigfreid._ "Making a sweet child turn her back on her friends in the name of her guild. You've twisted an ideology for your entertainment."_

"Now back to the match, who will get the second key? Nova Eos or The Eternal Knights?" announced Eli.

It took a second for his words to register, but eventually both Damien and Angelo realized what had to happen next.

Even though they'd worked so hard to defeat the Vulcan, the both had to be the first to make it to the other key on his body.

They dashed towards the key and stopped just short of it to launch an attack on one another.

Their diamond swords clashed sending an echoing ping throughout the arena.

"Hmm, I guess we should even this out. Diamond Make: Armor!" barked Damien as his own body became diamond encrusted.

The arena erupted in cheers as both mages now seemed to gleam in the center of the ring.

"Ugh, too bright. Too bright," said Eli.

The mages clashed again and again, neither one giving up ground on the other.

From above they looked like two bright lights colliding with one another over and over.

"You're pretty good," said Damien.

"T-Thanks. It's all t-thanks to y-you I guess," responded Angelo.

"Nah. I don't think so. Anyhow, it looks like we're at a stalemate," added Damien.

Then both of their swords cracked in half.

"Forgot about me?" asked Adrienne as blood trickled out of a head injury.

"You sure you can even stand?" asked Damien as his sword reformed.

"I-Is it t-t-two on one n-now?" asked Angelo.

"I wouldn't dream of it," said Damien.

"Me neither," said Adrienne as she struggled to keep her balance.

The diamond encrusted mages darted towards one another once more and resumed their match.

As Adrienne would dart in, they'd avoid her and dash away.

"Why won't they attack her?" asked Alice.

"It seems they're taking her wounds into account," answered Master Seigfreid.

"That's not a good idea," said the red head as she wiped away streaks of tears. "That'll just upset her."

"You guys are annoying me!" shouted Adrienne.

"There she goes," giggled Alice. "They're in for it now."

Adrienne focused her speed magic into her feet and instantly closed the gap between her and the other two mages.

Her speed refocused into Ares and then with a single swipe, the blade knocked both mages to the ground.

They stood to their feet, both with their diamond armor in tatters.

"You might've killed me there," said Damien with shock written over his face until it contorted into a smile. "Hey, let's get her."

Both diamond mages dashed forward and with her speed focused once more into her own body, she easily fended off both mages.

With two parries that could barely be seen, she forced an opening in both of them.

A shift in focus once more allowed Ares to vibrate violently and strike at each mage sent them careening across the arena.

The speed mage now stumbled over towards the unconscious Vulcan who held the second key.

She made it to the key and as her fingers grazed it, and then suddenly she was at a loss for air and she collapsed.

Damien was the first to his feet. Having caught the scene from where he lay, he shuffled over to the key. He freed it from the Vulcan and placed it in the unconscious Adrienne's hand.

"We have a winner folks!" yelled Eli as he descended to the arena.

The crowd erupted in cheers.

"Well done Alice Sable and Damien Stones!" shouted Eli forcing silence once more.

"What are you talking about?" asked Damien as he helped Adrienne to her feet. "She got there first. She won."

"Yeah, but you freed the key," said Eli with a devilish grin.

The diamond mage's anger began to get the better of him, but he was quickly calmed by Master Seigfreid's arrival.

"Let it be Damien," said Seigfreid. "We all know you meant well. But take a look at Adrienne, something is wrong with her. Something more than simple fatigue or an injury."

He placed a hand on the diamond mages shoulder.

"It's for the best. I won't be allowing her to compete in her state either way," said Seigfreid.

"Well there ya have it folks!" shouted The Collector. "With Both the Eternal Knights and Nova Eos losing one mage, there points have dropped to 95, but on the plus side we have our first group winners!"

"Join us tomorrow, for our first S-class match!"

* * *

**November 8, X791, 8:00 A.M, Eternal Knight's Guild Hall**

Adrienne had remained unconscious for the rest of the night. Emergency physicians had determined an Acute Respiratory Syndrome as the ailment, but couldn't figure out why she had yet to awaken.

She was in her room and Alice and Master Seigfreid both seemed to have been in and out all night.

"She said something was wrong," said Alice angrily. "She said it was nothing to worry about, but that if something should happen, know that it wasn't normal."

"Yes," said Seigfreid. "She came to me in confidence shortly after The Collector's arrival and mentioned that she had begun to feel ill the moment he arrived."

Alice looked shocked. "You knew?!"

"No," said Seigfreid quietly. "That weapon she uses comes with many risks, but none so much as what happens when someone like The Collector comes along. Their users are meant to die young. Long before they master the weapon."

He moved closer to Adrienne's side and continued, "It's a tricky thing, but occasionally someone beats the odds ascends to a plateau where their power is frightening. It's something only other blood pact users can feel. The difference must be so great, it made her ill."

Both Alice and Seigfreid jumped back in surprise when Adrienne sat up sharply, gasping for air.

"I hear him," she said. "The Collector. I can hear him. He's been poisoning us, since his arrival."

"Us?" asked Master Seigfreid.

"He's been doing the same thing to Madeline," she said. "We've to go to her. I know how to cure it!"

"You're cured?!" shouted both Alice and Seigfreid shouted.

"It's kind of complicated, but my sword, Ares saved me," said Adrienne. "I'll explain on the way."

* * *

**November 8, X791, 8:30 A.M, Scarlet Phantom Guild Hall**

Master Narissa and several other Scarlet Phantom members currently surround a comatose Madeline. At some point throughout the night, she had collapsed and had remained in that state since.

"Please wake up, Madeline," said Narissa as Fuyumi applied a damp cloth to Madeline's forehead. "I need you to wake up."

"You need her for her match later or you need her?" asked Rosca.

"This isn't the time Rosca!" she shouted as tears began to well in her eyes.

"_Are you crying for this guild or for your mage?" _wondered Rosca. _"No matter. It seems your has luck ran out."_

"If she wakes wish her luck for me," said Rosca as he exited the guild. "If not, send her sister my regards."

Moments later, Master Seigfreid burst through the door with Alice and Adrienne floating just behind him. He set them down and was quickly met with Narissa's rage.

"I don't have the t-" started Narissa before she interrupted by Master Seigfreid.

"And no one has time for your antics, child!" shouted Seigfreid and with a flick of his wrist she was teleported away.

"What have you done with our master," cried Fuyumi.

"It's okay, Fuyumi," said Alice as she and Adrienne took a seat beside Madeline. "Adrienne's going to help."

Within a few moments Adrienne was perfectly silent.

"What's she doing?" asked Fuyumi.

"Adrienne said that her sword protected her and explained a mage and its blood pact artifact are intertwined with one another and every other blood pact artifact," said Alice.

"Skilled users can communicate with one another through their weapons," she added. "It's a direct communication to the subconscious. Every mage exudes an aura and The Collector's is so menacing that by exposing another blood pact artifact user's psyche to it directly he trapped them in a comatose state."

Adrienne's subconscious drifted into Madeline's and she found the red head sitting in a dark room all alone.

"Madeline," she whispered. "Madeline. I'm here to help."

"It won't stop," said the red head in a panic. "This feeling. This magic. It's suffocating me. How do I get it to stop?!"

Adrienne looked at the young woman who had inspired nothing, but fear and animosity since their meeting and in this moment she felt sorry for her.

"You can't," said Adrienne. "You need to call for Janus and get him to close that pathway to The Collector's Aura."

"Call for Janus?" asked Madeline anxiously. "I tried. He isn't coming."

Adrienne thought back to when she called for Ares. He had come almost instantly. Although it had taken her a while to think to call for him and then to wake up, but she never imagined what would have happened if he hadn't come.

Adrienne sat beside Madeline and held out her hand for the red head's.

"How about we both call?" she asked.

Madeline slowly took hold of her hand. "Janus," they both said and then they slowly felt his presence.

Madeline's eyes lit up. "Janus, you're here," she said. "I'm so glad."

"Why didn't you come sooner?" asked Adrienne. "She needed your help."

A regal voice echoed through the dark room. "We aren't merely tools! If she called and I couldn't hear her, it is only her fault!"

"I take it you and Ares are close," said Janus.

"Of course," said Adrienne simply. "Once I realized Ares was more than a sword, he was my best friend."

"This woman thinks nothing more of me than a tool for destruction!" he shouted.

"I can't help that," said Adrienne as she wrinkled her nose in thought. "But if that's ever going to change then the first step is to get her out of here."

The room was silent for a while until Madeline spoke.

"I'm sorry Janus," she said softly. "I wronged you and I'm sorry."

Adrienne's eyes went wide in shock at Madeline's words.

"Well, that's a first," said Janus. "I'll close this pathway for you and I pray you don't forget this moment."

The room shook violently and then suddenly Adrienne was back in the Scarlet Phantom Guild Hall.

She woke up and saw dozens of mages watching her.

Madeline opened her eyes and the guild erupted in cheers.

Fuyumi was the first one to break down in tears of joy and then Alice threw her arms around her sister.

"You're here too Alice?" asked Madeline weakly.

"Of course you idiot," said Alice happily. "You were sick and didn't tell me. Are you stupid?"

Madeline's eyes landed on Adrienne and in the midst of all the chaotic celebrations she whispered a silent thank you.

"Seigfreid!" roared Narissa as she tore open a portal into the guild. "I could kil-"

Her eyes landed on Madeline and shifted between Adrienne, Alice and Seigfreid several times before she broke down in tears.

"I could kiss you," she shouted as she fell to her knees by the old man's side.

"Don't ruin this with your stupid pride Narissa. This is your family and one of your children just came back from the brink. Don't put your foot in your mouth here," said Master Seigfreid as he exited the guild.

"Are you okay?" asked Narissa weakly.

"Yes Madam," said Madeline as she struggled to sit up. "I'll be fine to fight tonight."

"Fight!" shouted Alice. "There's no w-"

"There no way you're fighting tonight!" finished Narissa.

Everyone in the guild was in shock until Madeline pulled herself to her feet. "I'll be fighting tonight," she said. "Everyone's fighting for their guild and I will do the same."

* * *

**November 8, X791, 7:30 P.M, Coliseum, Main Arena**

"Well!" shouted The Collector to cheers from the audience. "It seems like we're in for a great match."

Vincent Reyes and Madeline Sable both stood in the ring, but it was clear that Madeline was pushing through on will power alone.

Her and Vincent's eyes met for a moment and with a smile on her face she said, "If you go easy on me, I'll kill you."

"Yeah," chuckled Vincent as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "They sort of explained the situation. So you're injured, but not really, but I shouldn't go too hard, but I shouldn't take you lightly. The whole thing is really confusing."

"Then I'll make it simple," said Madeline with her smile intact. "If you don't fight me seriously, you could die."

"_Geez," _thought Vincent. _"I can't tell if she's nice or mean or crazy or sane or anything. It's actually kind of exciting. Wait what the hell am I thinking right now!"_

"Okay," said Vincent as he shook off his confusion. "I'll give it my best."

"The match will be a simple one on one. First one to down the other in three minutes wins If neither mage does that, they both lose and both guilds are penalized!" shouted Eli from his floating orb before quickly adding. "In the jungle. Please enjoy the match from the lacrima screen."

The mages were instantly teleported away and now several lacrima screens appeared in the arena.

"What's going on?" asked Vincent as he landed in a jungle. "Where's Madeline? Do I have to look for her? Well I guess looking for someone so pretty isn't so bad."

"I'm right behind you Vincent," said Madeline quickly.

Vincent tried to rub away the blush that was plastered on his face currently.

"I-I didn't mean anything by it," said Vincent in frustration.

"I'm sure," said Madeline. "Janus!"

The halberd took form immediately and Vincent quickly regained his composure.

But Vincent noted something in that moment, all the times he had seen the weapon summoned, this was the first time it didn't have a murderous feeling behind it.

"I guess I have to actually be serious," he said.

"Yup," said Madeline who had quickly closed the distance between the two of them.

The halberd collided with solid light Vincent had quickly formed.

The light shattered, but took most of the force.

"Light Impact!" barked Vincent as light encased his hand and he aimed a fist for Madeline's stomach.

A quick rotation of Janus deflected the explosion as it set off and she jumped back to clear some space between her and Vincent.

The light mage took advantage of her retreat and was behind her quickly. "You must really not be at your best. I've never seen you retreat. "Light Devil's Rage!" roared Vincent.

His Light Devil magic poured out on Madeline and when the dust cleared, she stood with her clothes in tatters and covered in bruises.

From back in Brightholt Alice watched. "Yup, he's a dead man," said Alice mindlessly as she watched the fight and Adrienne shook her head in agreeance.

Vincent watched as Madeline pushed herself to remain standing.

"I won't insult you by asking you to stop," he said.

"That's good," she laughed. "Cause I'm not done yet!"

Pure magic encased her hands and she darted at Vincent who was quickly encasing his own hands in light.

Behind him, Janus appeared was being manipulated from afar by her magic

Vincent moved to dodge Janus' attacks, but was left open to Madeline's fists.

She landed blow after blow on Vincent. Several punches connected with his gut as he tried to guard against Janus.

Janus slowly whittled away at the light until it dissipated and then Madeline grabbed hold of the halberd and fired the magical energy it had stolen with her own at Vincent.

Vincent stood covered in bruises, but otherwise unharmed.

"This would have been fun if you were at your best," said Vincent. "Light Devil's Sacred Bow!"

A bow took form and an arrow made of pure light readied in his bow.

"_This was fun Janus,"_ thought Madeline as she prepared to attempt a guard against the attack. _"We should do it this way more often."_

"_Yes, of course," responded Janus._

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Special thanks to Raiyane

Special Thanks to all of the readers. Also you all helped me reach two milestones I'm particularly proud of, 100 reviews and 10 chapters. Thanks for the support everyone.

Special Thanks to The Imposter for all of their help.

**How's it going?**

I want you all to be completely honest with me about anything that comes to mind. If you have an idea or a critique or I'm messing up your character, please let me know and we'll work on it.

The Deviantart link with pictures of groupings and a tournament tree is now set up. The numbers next to the names in the groups is only the order their name was entered into the generator.

I'm really hoping we get some more images for Brightholt mages up. I know everyone's busy. Just hoping is all.

If you ever find yourself curious about when a chapter is going to be released, the tentative date will be on my profile.

**Origm2012 News**

So you guys voted for 3. That was the 'my choice' option. So I chose to update both stories. Hope you enjoyed whichever you read. The new poll is up and yes, the numbers are different this time. I'll be away for a bit next week, so a chapter will be out for this story or the other story around the 14th.

The forum is up. Link' on the profile. There's only one post right now to get it going, so feel free to check it out or to post your own topics about the stories or whatever. Keep it clean and all that. The category may say Fairy Tail, but all of my readers are welcome.

Thanks for reading.


	11. Not My Family

_**Author's Note:**_

You're not dreaming, I updated.

Plus, there's a really important update about the future of this story down below… No it's not canceled.

* * *

**November 10, X791, 11:00 A.M, Scarlet Phantom Guild, Narissa's Office**

"Do you understand Fuyumi?" asked Master Narissa. "You've got to win tonight."

The Scarlet Phantom mage seemed to be locked in a trance as she recalled frantically jumping into the arena to help her idol once Madeline and Vincent were teleported back.

Madeline sat on the ground bruised and defeated, but there was a calmness on her face that Fuyumi had never seen before.

"What was that?" Fuyumi mistakenly asked aloud.

"Are you listening to me!?" shouted Narissa.

"We can't afford to start losing at the very beginning!" she continued. "Our guild is on the line here Fuyumi!"

The ruby haired girl snapped out of her own thoughts and quickly nodded affirmatively.

"Yes, madam," she said before quickly adding. "I was merely thinking of what skills my opponents might have since the match has two new members in it."

Narissa's eyes swept over Fuyumi, knowing full well that the young mage's mind was elsewhere. She remained quiet for a moment before deciding that it'd be for the best to only keep her mage's focused.

"That's right," she said slowly. "Other than Shaw, the other 2 entrants are somewhat a mystery."

Narissa continued when it seemed as if Fuyumi was at least moderately invested in the briefing now.

"Gimon of the Eternal Knights and Flora of Nova Eos," she started. "One's abilities are vague and the other's a complete blank. Do you have a plan of action?"

The room was silent once more as Narissa's question once more failed to reach an almost dazed Fuyumi.

"Fuyumi!" she shouted bringing her back once more. "A plan of action?"

"Oh," said Fuyumi. "Um, the matches are designed so that the priority isn't fighting one another, but stealing a key. The best course of action seems to avoid the mysterious combatants, steal a key and proceed to the next round quickly."

Narissa sat in shock at the sudden calculated thinking from what seemed to be a detached Fuyumi. "You'll be able to execute this plan," she asked with a hint of disbelief.

"Yes, Madam," said Fuyumi. "I've done only as you instructed over the last 2 days and using the first match as a template and The Collector's fondness for, um, collecting things I've tirelessly researched every possible combative species and methods for obtaining a key."

Narissa stepped out from behind her desk and approached Fuyumi, placing a hand on each shoulder. "I'm sure you're worried about Madeline. But I assure you, she's fine. She'll be back to her normal self soon enough. Even Madeline understood the importance of the guild's safety. Surely you can understand her feelings. You've done the best you could do for her by working hard these last few days."

Fuyumi's eyes lit up with their usual excitement for a moment. "Will she really be back? To normal too? I was worried, but if you say it then it must be so madam."

Fuyumi wore a bright smile now.

"Okay," said Narissa with a smile of her own. "Resume your preparations."

The young mage happily bounced towards the door and then turned back to Narissa. "Madam, I'd really like to see her before I fight though," said Fuyumi.

"I know you would," said Narissa with a warm smile. "But with you having to prepare for your match, it'd only stress her out. Don't you think? As soon as your match is done, you can go see her."

Though Fuyumi was disappointed, her renewed faith in the plan and promise of seeing Madeline after her match motivated her to perfect any and every plan.

"Okay!" she cheered

"_I'll get right to practice again as soon as I see Madeline,"_ thought Fuyumi as she bounced through the doorway and on her way.

* * *

**November 10, X791, 11:00 A.M, Scarlet Phantom Guild, Madeline's Room**

"How are you feeling Madeline?" asked Adrienne as stood at the foot of a small grassy hill watching the red head.

"Ahhh," sighed Madeline as she sat up from her position. "You can tell Alice I'm fine. As soon as I'm 100% recovered, Janus says I'll be able to wake up good as new."

"That's good. Alice says she won't forgive you if you don't wake up soon," said Adrienne causing a smile to take root on Madeline's face.

"It probably wasn't a good idea to fight Vincent right after waking up," said Madeline. "But I'm sure you understand that I couldn't not fight him. That idea felt wrong in many ways."

As strange as it was for Adrienne, she enjoyed speaking to Madeline like this. Here in her subconscious, Madeline seemed at ease and peaceful. So different from their first meeting.

"I do think it's strange that Fuyumi hasn't come asking for me yet," added Madeline as she stood to her feet. "I do hope I didn't let her down."

"It seems she's been busy training for her match," said Adrienne. "We've rarely seen her ourselves."

The thought seemed to bother her, but she brushed it aside and gesture for Adrienne to walk beside her on a dirt path which seemingly manifested before them.

"I hope she's okay, I figured I would hear reports of how she wasn't leaving my bedside or not eating, but to hear that she's yet to come is strange," said Madeline.

"I could," hesitated Adrienne as she thought over a conversation with the eccentric mage. "I could go look for her and tell her you wanted to see her."

Madeline turned her head to Adrienne in surprise. "I didn't think you'd be so willing to help me. I'm grateful."

"What?!" shouted a flustered Adrienne. "It's not like I'm busy or anything."

"I'm still recovering too," she started. "And. I mean, I was nervous at first, but knowing that someone else is experiencing the same things I'm experiencing is kind of a relief."

"Ahhh," said Madeline. "So you're glad I'm sick."

"Oh! I didn't mean it like that. I really wouldn't want you hurt or anything," protested Adrienne.

"That was a joke," chuckled Madeline as she walked ahead. "Relax Adrienne."

"That's a joke!" laughed out Adrienne. "I was sure you didn't know what those were."

"Oh? Why is that" asked Madeline. "I'll have you know I was known as the funny twin."

She turned to see Adrienne's face in disbelief.

"What?" You don't believe me?" she asked. "I'll show you."

She cleared her throat and in her most proper voice she said, "What do you get from a pampered cow?"

She waited a moment before blissfully continuing, "Spoiled Milk!"

There was a moment of silence and then Adrienne burst from laughter. She fell to the floor clutching her sides.

"See, I told you I was funny," said a triumphant Madeline forcing more laughter from Adrienne.

A minute passed and the raven haired girl still lay on the ground fighting tears and laughter.

"Okay, that's enough," said an irritated Madeline. "It wasn't that funny."

"You're right! It wasn't!" cried Adrienne as she burst out in more laughter.

"Adrienne Byrne. You're becoming a nuisance," said Madeline.

"How can you talk like that and make a joke like that?" laughed Adrienne.

"That's enough, I'm going on ahead," said Madeline.

"Wait! Wait up!" shouted Adrienne as she composed herself and ran to catch up with Madeline. "It's not like you could've gotten away. We're in your head."

A few minutes passed and a thought occurred to Adrienne. "What do you mean, you were the funny twin?"

The pair kept walking along the path in silence and then Madeline answered.

"Alice and I were orphans for a long time," she said. "We learned early on, that there weren't many nice people out there. Sometimes, Alice and I would be so hungry; we'd eat the old scraps behind restaurants. Even then, we'd be shooed away. Alice would get so hungry that she'd not talk for days at a time. So I used to cheer her up by thinking of jokes. They'd cheer her up and then we'd go find food."

She caught a glimpse of the shock on Adrienne's face and assured her that they didn't always have it hard. Sometimes, nice people would give them clothes or food.

"But," she continued. "We happened to have bad luck and run into more bad then good. We had to get tough to protect each other and after some time passed. Master Seigfreid found us and offered us a place to call home."

"Wait, if Master Seigfreid found you then how'd you end up in Scarlet Phantom?" asked Adrienne.

"I'm telling the story right now, Adrienne Byrne. Patience," chuckled Madeline. "Learning magic made all the difference for us. Alice opened up more and became her cheerful self and I realized that there are a lot of powerful people who choose to look away from those in need. Master Seigfreid offered me a home and my mistress offered me a means to get stronger and help those around us. And so Alice and I went our separate ways."

"I. I'm sorry," was all Adrienne managed to say.

"No need for condolences," said Madeline. "It doesn't suit you and no matter how you look at it, Alice and I turned out pretty good."

"Present situation excluded," she quickly added forcing a laugh from both of them.

"So how much longer do you think you'll need in here?" asked Adrienne.

"Janus thinks that the stress of a match just after recovering from The Collector's attack took its toll. But he's certain that I'll be restored within the next 24 hours," said Madeline.

"Okay," said Adrienne. "I'll let everyone know and I'll try and find Fuyumi too."

"I appreciate all your help," said Madeline and then in a flash Adrienne was whisked away.

The next moment Adrienne was back in Madeline's room. The S-class mage's room was larger than most rooms Adrienne had seen. It was pentagon shaped and in the corner of the building. On either side of the walls that made the corner, there was a large bay window. A ruby-like pink color covered the walls and besides the bed which housed an unconscious Madeline, there were two stools, a mahogany dresser, and a closet with a large mirror as its door. The door to the bedroom was open, as other members had been coming and going every now and then.

Adrienne awoke and beside her sat a hopeful, teary eyed Alice.

"How's she doing? Is she coming back soon? Is she eating?" shot out Alice.

Adrienne looked at her friend and after pausing for a moment at the sight of her, she grabbed hold of her in a tight hug surprising the red head a bit.

"Don't tell me you're sick too?" she asked gaining a laugh from Adrienne.

"No worries there she said. Madeline is fine. She'll be up in a day or so. And I don't think she has to worry about food over there," said Adrienne as she pulled back from the embrace.

"I wish she'd wake up soon. It's been days so far," said Alice. "I miss her. What'll I do if she doesn't wake up?"

"Shh, no worries," said Adrienne. "Like you said. It's only been a few days and she'll be up soon."

"A few days?" said a voice in the direction of the doorway.

Adrienne and Alice turned with smiles towards the visitor, until they saw the state of the visitor.

"Fuyumi?" said Adrienne in surprise. "Madeline was just asking about you. She wanted to know if you were going to come see her. She thought you might be disappointed in her."

Her words cut through Fuyumi like daggers. The young mage seemed to suddenly get lightheaded.

"_She's been like this for a few days. A few days!" _shouted Fuyumi within her thoughts. _"She thinks I hate her. I could never. But certainly it seems so. I wanted to see her so much. I would never stay away from her, if I knew she was ill. I was busy practicing. I was practicing because Madam Naris—"_

"It's her fault," she whispered.

"Are you ok Fuyumi?" asked Alice.

"It's her fault!" screamed Fuyumi as tears streamed down her face and she fell to her knees in anger.

She screamed once more unleashing magic within her flinging Alice and Adrienne into the dresser. The energy shattered the windows and shook the building as the red head stood to her feet in a rage.

The deranged Fuyumi bolted through the broken window tearing at her red tutu and scratching her arms.

She landed out in the street and darted away.

* * *

**November 10, X791, 11:00 A.M, Nova Eos Guild Hall**

"I think I've got a good chance at taking a key," said Shaw Riley.

He was going over different strategies with Master Jade and Flora, but strategizing and planning weren't really his style. He preferred going to toe to toe with someone and neither of them knowing what the other was capable of. Not that he was against a little preparation, but it always felt more natural when he didn't have to remember statistics.

That's what this fight was for Shaw.

"Right, Gotcha," said Flora as she wrote down a few notes in a journal.

She turned past a page titled Jackie to a page titled Shaw and beside a fresh bullet point, she wrote 'block head'.

"You can't honestly hope to win without some strategy," she said. "We've got the number advantage in this round. We should be able to use that to secure at least one key."

"Nope. That's not my style," said Shaw as he puffed out his chest slightly. "I don't know Gimon's magic and he doesn't know mine. It's perfect."

"What about Fuyumi?" asked Master Jade. "How do you plan to deal with her then?"

"I, uh, I didn't really giver her much thought," admitted Shaw.

"You don't seem to be giving much of anything thought," said Flora flatly.

"Haha! Exactly," exclaimed Shaw proudly. "That's the best way to go about things. If you think too hard on things, you'll just worry yourself to death."

"Possibly an idiot," Flora said aloud as she wrote in her journal again.

"Ahh, we're not getting anywhere," said Master Jade. "You've both gotta find some sort of middle ground."

Turning to Flora he said, "Over preparing will only get you in trouble when something you didn't plan for happens."

The snickers from Shaw drew Jade to his next point. "And walking in blind is foolish incarnate," said Jade as he quickly slapped the back of Shaw's head.

"Ow, what the hell Master Jade," said Shaw as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Maybe if you were more prepared, you'd have seen that coming," said Flora through her giggles.

"Real funny," shot back Shaw.

"I won't tell you two how to fight in your match, but I want you both prepared and on your toes. Fuyumi's magic and Gimon's magic. One is known and the other isn't. This is going to require you to be ready for anything."

Both mages nodded in affirmation and then Flora cheerfully added, "Wait, but no one knows my magic either!"

"Haha, nope. Everybody knows it," said Shaw. "You tried out for Scarlet Phantom in the middle of town. Everyone knows."

"Ugh," she said in frustration. "Wanting to join them is already coming back to bite me."

Shaw abruptly dropped his arm on her shoulder and excitedly said, "Yeah, but no worries. You're a part of the family now, so we'll just look out for each other later."

"Right," said Flora as she flashed a quick smile at her guild mate. "We'll both try our best to win too."

"Yes!" Shouted Shaw almost knocking Flora over at the same time. "I can't wait."

* * *

**November 10, X791, 1:00 P.M, Eternal Knight's Guild Hall, Adrienne's Room**

The last few days had given Seigfreid a lot to think over, but presently his concerns were Gimon, Adrienne and Alice.

He was on his way to check on Adrienne and Alice and beside him walked Gimon.

"Seems like you took a few hits when fighting Eli," said Gimon.

"You're right. The kid was stronger than I thought," said Master Seigfreid as he stretched his bandaged arms. "I let my anger get the best of me. If it hadn't been for the Harbinger, I'd have killed him. But watching Madeline fight and Adrienne recover. The brat threatened my family. If it hadn't been accidental, I don't know if I could have restrained myself."

"You're right," said Gimon as he thought of his own family. "Family does seem to be reason enough to break one's code."

"Hmm. I'll show more restraint in the future," said Seigfreid.

He was clearly unsettled and for once, the old guild master's face showed only worry.

"If you worry anymore, you'll begin to look even older," said Gimon with a smile. "It'll all work out old friend."

This earned a chuckle from the old guild master and he even seemed a bit more relaxed.

"You'll be sure to take it easy on them tonight, right?" asked Master Seigfreid.

"Yes," said Gimon cheerfully as he took a quick drink from his mug. "But I'm a bit surprised you'd ask that of me."

"Hmm," said the floating guild master as he stared up at the towering Gimon. "No my friend, you misunderstand. I don't want you to hold back or throw the match. I know full well the scale with which you can use your magic. If you fought with the intent to kill, you'd probably be more than enough for any of them. I only ask you don't go that far."

"Beyond that," said Master Seigfreid as he stopped outside Adrienne's room. "Go all out."

The giant man smiled and walked away cheerfully, leaving Master Seigfreid to check on Adrienne and Alice who had returned from visiting Madeline.

Alice had taken to staying in Adrienne's room the last few days. First to make sure Adrienne was alright and then simply because it helped her worry less about Madeline. So she currently sat in a make shift cot beside Adrienne.

The two girls explained what had happened with Fuyumi after giving an update on Madeline's recovery.

"I don't know what could have caused that," said Master Seigfreid. "When she first joined, there were concerns about her that we discussed at length. However, Narissa was sure she could help her and she'd been more or less successful."

"We don't know either," said Alice as she took a look at the bruises caused by Fuyumi's outburst.

"We were about to go looking for her since Madeline thought it was odd she hadn't visited, then she shows up and pretty much snaps," said Adrienne.

"This is odd. Did she say anything?" asked Seigfried.

"She was mumbling about 'a few days' and 'how something was someone's fault', but none of it made sense," said Alice as she slowly sat up in her cot.

She walked over to the injured guild master and began looking over his wounds.

"You should have Korianne look over these wounds. How'd you even get hurt like this?" asked Alice.

"Don't worry," said Master Seigfreid. "It's just what happens when an old man decides to stretch after a long time. What bothers me is Fuyumi. Surely there's some connection in her words."

They all thought for a moment and then an idea occurred to Master Seigfreid.

The old man had a mixed look of confusion and disappointment on his face. "I believe the fault lies with Narissa," he said.

"What do mean?" asked Adrienne.

"From what you've told me," started Seigfreid. "I gather, that Fuyumi is quite attached to Madeline. Her absence worried Madeline. It would seem she was unaware of Madeline's situation and if that is so, then only one person would be capable of keeping her in the dark. Narissa."

"But why would she do that?" asked Alice.

"She's lost her way and sees only victory as a necessity," said Seigfreid. "Sometimes it appears as if she is truly a warm person, but in truth, she is very goal oriented. All evil is acceptable to her as long as she is capable of protecting the guild."

* * *

**November 10, X791, 1:00 P.M, Eternal Knight's Guild Hall, Training Grounds**

"You're really going to help me train Lucia?" Damien asked the S-class mage.

"Yup," sighed Lucia. "We've got to give it our all, right?"

"Right!" shouted Damien with a huge grin.

"Can we get this started already?" asked Christina with a bored looked on her face. "It won't be much of a training session anyway."

"Would you cheer up?" asked Lucia. "It wouldn't kill you to relax a bit."

"Look who's talking," shot Christina to which Lucia playfully mocked her.

"Okay Damien. Let's get started," said Lucia. "I'll only use one summon, but you feel free to do as you please."

"Only one?" he asked in voice that was concerned for Lucia.

"Take the handicap," said Christina before he could continue.

"Open Gate of Mind: Number 18: The Moon!" she barked forcing a beautiful young woman with long white hair and a flowing blue dress to appear.

"Wow, that's so cool!" shouted Damien in amazement.

He didn't even move, when Lucia began her attack.

"Hey guy!" shouted Christina. "Pay attention or it's over for you."

He shook off his amazement and saw the woman gliding towards him. As she came closer, the ground itself was coated in ice.

"_An ice summon? Okay, let's go!" _thought Damien as he darted forward.

"Diamond Make Armor!" he shouted and coated his entire body in diamonds.

As he closed in on Lucia's summon, the lady inhaled deeply and blew out a torrent of ice.

It continued on for nearly a minute and when she stopped, Damien stood frozen in his tracks. The moon summon elegantly returned to Lucia's side immediately.

"Is he done already?" asked Christina.

Then there was a single crack followed by several more and the ice shattered leaving a diamond covered Damien on his knees.

"That…was…cold," he struggled out between shivers.

"You're still good to go right?" chuckled Lucia. Then let's turn it up a notch.

She darted towards him and aimed a fist for his face.

"_Is she really going to punch solid diamond?!" _thought Damien as he braced himself.

The fist closed in and then right before impact she jumped over him revealing her Moon Summon closing in from his blind spot.

The elegant lady placed a gentle palm on the diamond covering his chest and at close contact, the diamond froze and shattered to dust.

For the first time since learning his diamond make magic, someone was capable of turning his ice to dust in a fraction of a second.

He jumped back quickly to evade further damage and ran into Lucia once more.

She was in front of him again and her target was now the exposed area on his chest.

Unused to guarding himself, she landed a punch right on target and sent him flying.

Damien jumped to his feet quickly with a gigantic smile on his face.

He had wanted to get stronger. This was the whole reason he joined a guild and now before him stood one of the strongest S-class mages and he had absolutely no chance. The idea of it thrilled Damien.

He formed a sword of diamond and darted at Lucia ready to cut her down.

She flawlessly jumped away and with no wasted movements, The Moon summon covered her retreat and grabbed hold of the sword, freezing it and crushing it in a single motion.

"You think you can keep going?" asked Lucia. "Or is this too much?"

"Too much?" asked Damien. "Of course it is, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

He reformed two more swords, dipped around The Moon summon and right at Lucia.

She met him happily, easily dodging each slash.

The best hope in fighting a summoner is to avoid the summoned creature and fight the summoner head on. This is the most successful method. The problem that arises is that veteran summoners know their weakness already and so most develop a means of covering this weakness.

Lucia Corazon's life had left her with a penchant for simplicity. She had no back up skill, no weapon stashed away, no secret lie hidden with her. There was only magic. Pure magic. The seemingly ridiculous amount of magical reserves that had allowed her, a summoner, to stand toe to toe with people like Rosca who were vicious in every sense of the word.

So as Damien Stones closed in with swords of pure diamond in each hand. As The Moon summon rushed to her master's side.

Lucia was at ease in her capability to protect herself. Her magic welled up and pooled into the palms of her hands and as Damien leapt at her, the raven haired mage took the simplest of stances and thrust a single fist at the diamond covered boy's face.

The diamond shattered instantly and Damien careened across the training grounds towards Christina's feet.

Lucia recalled her summon and ran over to check on him.

"Sorry," she said with an actual hint of remorse. "I overdid it."

Christina helped him to his feet and he released his magic. "Wooo," said Damien. "I made the right choice coming here to get stronger. Lucia is really strong"

"Is that why you joined?" asked Christina. "Then you have no idea how right you are. Lucia's only second. There's Rosca, then the Harbinger, Aoba's brother is pretty strong. The rest of the S-class to-"

She was cut off by Lucia hitting her over the head. "No need to bring up everyone else. I believe he was telling me how I'm the strongest," joked Lucia.

* * *

**November 10, X791, 2:00 P.M, Eternal Knight's Guild Hall, Master Seigfreid's Office.**

Master Seigfreid sat in his circular office. It was adorned with Eternal Knight banners and dark oak wood walls. The old mage had journals and textbooks strewn across the floor and shelves. On his desk was paper work that was likely to never get filled out, but as he sat at his desk he was only really focused on the person before him.

"Narissa Ash," he started. "I won't pretend to sympathize with you any longer. You've messed up again and so soon. What have you been doing to find her?"

The red headed mage stared at Seigfreid like a child being scolded and then she remembered she couldn't lose face here.

"I wasn't aware I had to answer to you," she said as she got up to walk away.

"Sit down!" boomed Seigfreid's voice shaking the guild.

Whether it was fear or respect, of this even Narissa was unsure. But the guild master retook her seat.

"Fuyumi's situation has always been delicate. How do you plan to fix this? He asked.

"I was sure you'd ask why I did it," she said.

"I know why already. You're a selfish, scared child who acted out of fear and lied to a child to get your way. Now I want to know how you plan on fixing this," said Seigfreid.

Master Narissa eyed the old guild master before. He was riddled with wounds she was sure he'd received from Eli.

"You have some nerve talking to me about acting out. He holds us hostage and you would antagonize him," she said.

"I did not get this far in life by bowing to ants," said Seigfreid.

* * *

**November 8, X791, 8:00 P.M, Outside Brightholt (As Madeline's match came to a close)**

A furious Master Seigfried found biting his tongue to be unbearable and so he confronted Eli, The Collector.

For a man of his experience, it was clear to him that Eli was nowhere near the coliseum as he broadcast to it. So Seigfreid flew at break neck speed to the area he sense Eli.

He found him high up in the hollowed out trunk of a tall tree.

"You will leave here," said Eli calmly as a smug look came across his face.

"You hurt my children. My family," said Seigfreid through gritted teeth. "I warned you boy. And now you'll pay the ultimate price for this."

"Come off it old man," said Eli. "You know your whole code binds you from killing me. And to top it off, I don't even know what you're talking about."

"You'll play foolish even now," said Seigfreid. "All codes will be broken tonight. All I care for is my children's safety!"

The old man unleashed his magical energy and the trees around them were flattened to the Earth.

Eli dove out of the tree and floated in the air before Seigfreid. "You're serious," he said as he tore off his shirt revealing a mark on his chest. "On this mark, you'd kill me?"

He had a devious smile on his face as he awaited Seigfreid's response.

"That mark does not belong to you anymore Eli. The Eternal Knights are honor bound not to kill and you besmirched that long ago. In this moment I'm prepared to walk away from the guild if it means erasing this threat. You're not my family."

"What a hypocrite," laughed Eli.

"Yes. It appears I am a hypocrite. I'd imagine all parents are," said Seigfreid. "You're too dangerous. How many lives have you taken since? How many more will be taken? No, if I let you go on, I'm just as bad. No more words Eli. Let's begin, just like we used to."

Eli's own magical energy poured out and he called out his Blood pact artifact.

"Artermis!" he shouted as his black and red gloves to form around his hands. "It's only fitting I fight using the weapon that started it all."

"Ahh, the hunter's blood pact artifact. Allowing one to never miss," said Seigfreid. "Come! Let's see if you've grown strong enough to even scratch this old man."

Eli darted forward, forming his hand into that of a gun and firing energy in every direction.

Seigfreid easily dodged each shot and flew at Eli, only for each previously fired shot to have changed direction and follow after the guild master.

The old guild master slid across the air and every shot closed in on him.

"Obscura Singular!" barked Seigfreid as a singularity took shape within each bullet and then within moments each shot was dispersed.

"You'll have to try better than shooting pellets boy," said Seigfreid.

"Terra Obscura!" shouted Seigfreid and within seconds, the ground beneath, broke into small boulders, rose and was weightless.

Seigfreid waved his hands as if to conduct a performance and each of the boulders began soaring around the combatants.

A slight flick of the wrist and one would zoom in at Eli.

The Bell kin responded quickly easily dodging most and obliterating everything else with magic.

Several dozen boulders still circled around him and Eli grew furious at their game.

"I thought you were going to be serious or have you actually gotten old and this is all you can manage," snapped Eli.

He formed a bow of dense magical energy and began firing arrows into the sky above them. Each arrow rose up and then came back down vaporizing its targeted boulder.

"You're right," said Seigfreid angrily. "Obscurum Vitae!"

The flattened trees twisted and opened up more of the earth for Seigfreid. From it, rose monsters of dirt and rock. With Seigfreid supporting them, they flew at Eli.

Eli dodged bodies of dirt and swords of rock for what seemed to be forever.

Firing off at whatever could get close. The sheer number of targets was impossible to escape from unscathed and he accumulated countless cuts and nicks all over him.

The barrage slowly infuriating and overwhelming him, he shouted unleashing the rest of his magical energy. A force so large, the beings slowed under its pressure.

In a flash, he fired hundreds of arrows at his attackers.

When they were turned to nothing, his whole body glowed brightly and then he was instantly behind Seigfreid.

The old man was caught off guard.

A fist crashed into the back of Seigfreid's head sending him crashing to the ground.

Before he could hit the ground, Eli was there and another punch sent him flying up again.

Eli kept Seigfreid locked in this barrage until Seigfreid managed to conjure another singularity and collide with Eli as he reappeared.

"I see it now," said Seigfreid. "You're firing yourself at me making a nearly perfect form of teleportation."

"Nearly?" laughed Eli. "You got lucky old man. I have perfected it."

He appeared before Seigfreid and his fist closed in on the guild master.

However, it lacked speed and force and was slowed to a halt.

"A field of gravity boy, how quickly you forget your lessons," said Seigfreid.

"Boulder punch," said Seigfreid as his fist was weighted by gravity and planted in Eli's gut.

The Bell kin soared into an un-flattened tree and was instantly before Seigfreid again, planting a knee in his gut.

Then the gravity set in once more and the little guild master was above Eli, dropping an elbow into his head.

Eli sailed down to the ground and was met by a speeding Seigfreid's fist.

There he planted blow after blow in Eli's body.

"Mountain Punch," said Seigfreid as his magic welled up once more and focused in his fist.

Before he could finish the attack, an attack of energy crashed into Seigfreid's arm sending him careening across the now flattened field. Then several hundred more shots poured onto the old man.

"Haha!" laughed Eli. "Done in by your own lessons."

Eli stood to his feet and stood over Seigfreid's body.

"I'll quote you here," taunted Eli. "My first lesson was always stay ahead of your opponent. You're wondering how I shot without firing. The answer. I didn't'. I've been firing off extra shots this entire battle, so that I could direct them at you when you least expected it. Now I've won old man!"

He looked down at Seigfreid and look of accomplishment came across his face. "Not that any of this generation of Eternal Knights were ever my guild mates, but none of them will ever know what it's like to best your guild master in battle."

He walked away from Seigfreid and relished in the destruction their battle had wrought.

"Lesson two," said the old guild master from where he lay. "Do not stop until your opponent concedes, Mangna Obscurum Gravitatem!"

The guild master's magic permeated through the Earth beneath Eli and it opened out into a gigantic hole.

Eli could not see the bottom of it and though he now floated above it, he could feel it slowly dragging him down into it.

"Old man! Release me!" Shouted Eli as he fired several arrows at Seigfreid's body.

The arrows instantly bent from the gravity and were pulled into the pit.

"Old man! You'll really kill me?" pleaded Eli.

"I plan on ending this Eli," said Seigfreid coldly.

"_Master. I beg you release him,"_ pleaded a voice in Seigfreid's head. _"I do not wish to bury old guild mates or masters."_

"_This voice," _thought Master Seigfreid. _"Are you near Harbinger?"_

"_No Master. But Eli will be dealt with soon enough. I swear there'll be no blood spilt as long as you release him," _said The Harbinger.

"_I can do no such thing,"_ thought Seigfreid. _"He's already endangered the guild and the city and actively tried to hurt two other mages."_

"_The other blood pact wielders; I know of their condition. He tells the truth when he says he had no part in their condition. Eli is a dark man. The other wielders around him will always be in danger of this form of poisoning. It's an unconscious act."_

"_I'm to release him,"_ thought Seigfreid. _"You believe he'll let them be now."_

"_No worries," _said The Harbinger. _"I've promised him the one thing that is sure to keep him to him from spilling blood."_

"_What is that?" _asked Seigfreid.

"_My return," _said The Harbinger.

Just then Jade appeared beside Master Seigfreid.

"So you're gonna kill him," said Jade as he watched Eli struggle to fly away from the gravity.

"No," said Seigfreid as pulled himself to a sitting position. "The Harbinger will deal with him."

"Oho," said Jade. "Well then I guess you're code lives to see another day. What are you going to tell everyone?"

Seigfreid released the spell and the Earth closed up. "I'll tell them an old man acted foolishly," said Seigfreid.

Eli's eyes held nothing, but bitterness as he watched Jade help Seigfreid away.

"Why didn't you give the order to kill him," said the voice of a man appearing beside Eli.

He was a tall middle age man with shoulder length black hair. He had a broad chest and shoulders. Underneath his clothing he was muscular and sported a large variety of scars ranging from burns to stabbings that run across his entire body. His face was covered by a mask and his black hair hung just over the top of his mask. His masked had two solid blue holes for him to see out of. He wears a long dark green duster that reached just below his knees. He had on black leather gloves and thick steel toed combat boots and long black pants. Across his chest he was an ammo belt with all of his ammunition and around his waist he wore a belt with grenades and Lacrima bombs. Over his back hung a rifle.

"I got caught up in nostalgia," said Eli as he took note of the wounds on his body.

"So should I get everyone else and move out tonight," said the man. "I'd imagine that with only two guild master in fighting condition, our objective will be simple."

Eli looked at the masked man and said, "You're not here to imagine Arthas. You're here to pull a trigger when I say so. We'll play nice for now since it seems as if the most interesting entertainment is coming."

"Fair enough," said Arthas and he stepped back into the shadows. "I'll be awaiting your orders."

* * *

**November 10, X791, 7:00 P.M, Coliseum, Main Arena**

The match between Flora, Shaw, Gimon and Fuyumi was set to start at 7 O' Clock. 3 of the 4 combatants had been patiently waiting for their final opponent. So it was no surprise when the fans started booing at the hold up. Eventually Eli signaled for Scarlet Phantom to cease its delays and produce the mage or forfeit the match.

Just as Narissa was about to concede defeat, Fuyumi walked into the arena.

Each mage in the arena noticed instantly. There was something different about her. Something wrong.

"Okay then!" shouted Eli. "Finally. Let's begin already!"

Within moments a flying creature was brought forth. Its wing span was about half the diameter of the arena floor and it hovered above the mages. Its feathers were mostly a greyish color and its beak was solid blue. Within each of its feet it clutched a key.

Gimon, Flora and Shaw burst off towards the creature while Fuyumi stood perfectly still seemingly devoid of emotion.

Despite Gimon's size he able to easily jump to eye level with the creature. His magic built up and then slowly incased in a sharpened diamond.

From the stands Damien and Master Seigfreidn watched. "So he uses diamond magic like me!" said Damien excitedly.

"Not exactly," said Master Seigfreid. "From what Lucia told me and what I now about Gimon, there are some important differences, but I think you'll be able to close the gap in time."

The big man planted his fist in the flying creature's head sending it plummeting to the ground.

"He beat it in one shot," said Flora in amazement.

"That's what I'm talking about!" shouted Shaw. "Second Gear!"

Vapor slow rose off of Shaw and he darted at the now falling body of Gimon.

As the giant man landed a speeding fist collided with him. "Shotgun!" barked Shaw sending Gimon skidding across the ground.

The big man stood with ease and laughed, "That's not bad, how's this."

He crystalized the air, turning it to wall of diamond as tall as he was. Then with a single punch he launched the wall at Shaw who instantly dodged.

The difference in experience quickly became clear as a second wall was already on its way to Shaw as he completed his dodge. With no means of dodging, he braced for impact.

It never came as a wave of paint had collided with the wall and stopped it in its tracks.

"This is why I said you shouldn't be so rash!" shouted Flora. She drew another image and pulled forth a solid black scythe.

"I guess I can afford to be rash if you'll cover me," teased Shaw.

"You idiot," said Flora as she shook her head and secretly fought frustration with her guild mate.

She darted towards Gimon and slashed at the agile giant only for him to swiftly dodge each attack.

Shaw closed the distance between them and fired off several shotguns all of which were now withstood by the giant man's diamond skin.

"The master said I should try and hold back because of everything happening, but you guys aren't giving me much choice. Any chance I can get a key and leave?"

"Not a chance," they said in unison.

Flora continued her scythe attacks to no more avail than keeping Gimon busy, so she retreated and prepared another attack.

The retreat drew Gimon's focus and Shaw sought to capitalize on it.

"Critical Impact!" he shouted and hit the giant's diamond body.

Gimon skidded backwards and now held a look of surprise on his face. He was prepared for the blow and it still knocked him back. That was a skill to be reckoned with.

However, the damage was done. As Gimon's Diamond magic exhibited a characteristic unlike others. It was capable of sharpening itself in response to those around him. All of Shaw's attacks had only served to increase the sharpness of Gimon's diamond body making him nearly impenetrable.

Shaw's hand seemed bloodied and broken from the impact and though he was excited for the fight, his pain was obvious.

"Just stay back, I'll take it from here," said Flora.

"Now why would I do that," said Shaw as he was genuinely happy.

In the stands every mage had been watching carefully. It was clear. Gimon was superior to his 3 opponents on a regular day. Even now against two of them he wasn't struggling. He had riddled the entire battlefield with attacks, except where Fuyumi stood. He had been sure to draw Flora and Shaw's attention to only him from the start and every mage knew why. There was something wrong with her. It was as if her magic had snapped. It felt unhinged and the only way to describe it really was a desire to murder those around her.

Gimon had been careful to avoid her, lest an attack reach her accidentally. She hadn't moved yet and he didn't want to stir her and have her do something she may regret later. She was only a child to the giant man.

So his fear was justified as he saw what Flora's attack consisted of. She had created a giant cloud within the battle field and it was preparing to rain on all of them.

He dashed towards Fuyumi and in an attempt to shield her from the rain with his diamonds.

With both Flora and Shaw's attention being centered on the match, neither of them had noticed the extremity of situation and so they continued their attack.

He was too late and the rain fell on the girl who had been motionless since the start of the match. Then she as if now awoke, her eyes landed on all of her opponents.

Without incantation or preparation, they all found themselves locked in a personal hell via Fuyumi's Wonderland magic. As she was now, she seemed to be devoid of emotion and with each step she took towards the center of the ring, thorned vines poured out of the ground.

Each one inching towards an opponent. Her opponents' were grasped by the throat and held in the air.

Each one struggling to breath. She stayed like this for a moment until, Adrienne screamed out, "You need to find a key Fuyumi and then you'll get to see Madeline."

As if given new life, a vine shot towards the flying creature and within seconds found a key.

Eli, who had been watching from above, instantly removed her from the arena with his magic and took note of how scary the child was, not that it mattered to him.

The other three combatants fell to the ground and gasped for air. Within a few moments, they each stood to their feet and readied for battle once more.

"Are you ready?" said Gimon.

"Yup," said Shaw.

"Yes," said Flora.

The giant man released several diamond spikes in the air and fired them.

The preparation for this technique had given Flora enough time to summon another cloud and the rain-like bullets buffeted the spikes.

The opening gave Shaw enough time to close the distance between he and Gimon and with this time, he fired off a barrage of Shotgun attacks.

"Grab the key!" shouted Shaw. "I'll hold him off."

Flora bit her lip in frustration, but not wanting to waste any more time, she darted over to fallen creature and picked up the last key.

The crowd had been silent for a long time. None of them really knew what to make of anything, but as the last key had been procured, the masses erupted in cheers and Eli announced the two winners of this round.

* * *

**November 11, X791, 1:00 P.M, Town Square**

With the S-class match later on in the day, Aoba and Shion thought it might be a good idea to prepare a plan of action for their group match later in the week.

The pair walked along and Tally tailed behind looking around at every booth possible.

"Right, so I'll tie them up," said Aoba.

"And I'll lay in the final blow," said Shion.

Then both Shion and Aoba clasped hands and maniacally announced, "Then we'll both move on."

"Why'd you all say it like bad guys," said Tally as she tore through what was possibly her fifth bag of candy.

Aoba wrinkled her nose behind her cloth and snatched the candy. "Did you say something Tally?"

"Oh come on, Aoba, it was just a joke," Tally cried. "Can I please have it back?"

"I'll consider it, if you let me buy you a new outfit," said Aoba deviously.

"I'll do anything, just give it back," said Tally.

"Okay, here," said Aoba and Tally happily took the bag back tore through it once more.

"That was too easy," said Shion as he shook his head in disbelief.

"It's a gift," said Aoba with a smirk as she caught hold of Tally's clothes and dragged her to the nearest store.

* * *

**November 11, X791, 3:00 P.M, Coliseum, Main Arena**

Hazel Rochelle and Cerise had long been members of the coliseum. They'd fought several times and each held victories over the other, so as they stood before one another once more as opponents, there was no anxiousness to either of them, they simply knew what had to be done to defeat their opponents.

Eli's signal for the match to begin and the shifting of the terrain to a single circular slab of Earth surrounded by water didn't faze them.

The match began and their eyes never lost one another.

The petite Cerise's cloudy gaze locked onto Hazel and as soon as they took stock of their surroundings, she jumped up and prepared an attack.

"Unholy Flame's Wrath of Hell!" she cried as pillars of white flame evaporated the water surrounding the arena.

The steam rose and as it cleared; Cerise remotely bent the pillars of flame to attack Hazel.

Each pillar was the width of a building and they crashed down onto the arena, drying it out and leaving the area devoid of live.

A normal opponent would be overwhelmed, but Hazel flawlessly dodged each attack.

Cerise landed and performed a sweeping motion with her hand which her pillars mirrored and swept across the arena.

The pillars were stopped midway and held back by large hands made of Earth.

Hazel dashed forwards, coating her right arm in rock and burying it in Cerise's side. The Scarlet Phantom mage quickly released her technique and coated her own arms in unholy flames.

Then both mages darted towards one another and began their assault.

Cerise buried punches in Hazel's side, while Hazel managed to land a knee to the gut and an elbow to the back.

They were even in their hand to hand combat, but neither wanted to admit it. So they dashed towards one another for a second round. Easily matching the other blow for blow.

The only discernible feature for the crowd was the flare of red from Cerise and dark brown from Hazel. As the battle lingered on, neither combatant eased up. Their speed and focus continued to increase until all that could be seen on the lacrima screens were red and brown blurs.

The exchange came to an abrupt halt when both girl's missed a block and landed a punch on the other.

They skidded back away from each other with a smirk on their faces, then both knowingly released the sum of their magic to prepare for what was the next phase of their fight.

Cerise took on her true unholy Chimera form and the ground beneath her singed. Her form grew both panther and demon-like. As she obtained claws, and her canines became elongated, her magical power spiked.

Hazel had become encased in giant body made of Earth. The Earth itself lived around her and for her.

Cerise's Chimera form provided deadly power and speed. She closed any distance between her and Hazel instantly and retreated just as quickly, while Hazel Stone body was nigh impenetrable and sported the ability to react where she couldn't leaving no blind spots to be attacked all in exchange for speed.

The two fit together perfectly and the winner would be determined, the moment the other made a mistake.

This was the way their confrontation continued for several minutes.

Cerise pounded flaming punch after punch into the chest of the giant stone body to no avail, and then just as the stone hands would close in on her, she'd dart away and out of reach.

Unholy flame pillars were incapable of searing the stone as it was unburnable, living rock.

The giant rock form Hazel took remained magically connected to the Earth. This was the ability that Hazel was sure to break the dead lock. While Cerise had perfected an unholy flame technique she thought to be the answer for surpassing Hazel.

Cerise user her speed to get behind Hazel, bringing with her a pillar of flame. Her Chimera form handled fire like a play toy and she instantly condensed the flame to the size of pebble. The dense flame closed in on sluggish giant and the living rock sprouted arms through its back grabbing a hold of Cerise.

"Checkmate Cerise," said Hazel as she caught her breath from exhaustion.

"Not quite Hazel," shot back Cerise as for the first time, the rock began to melt. Cerise bored a hole through the hand and the super dense flame erupted leaving a gigantic hole in the stone giant.

The giant fell to its knees and Cerise melted off the remainder of the hand that clutched her.

"I've won," cheered Cerise unaware of what her arrogance might bear.

The stone giant fell apart and its body rolled towards Cerise; with her first reaction to try and melt it off. The more she melted it, the more it grew back.

Then Hazel stepped out from what was left.

"I made this one just for you," she said with an innocent smile. "It's living rock that grows as it's heated."

"Ugh. Damn it Hazel. Every time," shouted Cerise as the living rock made it up to her neck and Hazel stopped.

"You almost got me," said Hazel.

"I don't want to almost get you," she yelled. "I want to unequivocally defeat you, but every time I get stronger you get stronger."

"I guess that makes us rivals?" asked Hazel.

* * *

_**Author's Note**_

Special thanks to everyone for their support.

**How's it going?**

I want you all to be completely honest with me about anything that comes to mind. If you have an idea or a critique or I'm messing up your character, please let me know and we'll work on it.

The Deviantart link with pictures of groupings and a tournament tree is now set up. The numbers next to the names in the groups is only the order their name was entered into the generator.

So a few changes to be made. The tentative date for a release may be on my profile, but all notifications will be handled through my forums. I think it's a great way to let you all know when something happens or when they'll be a delay. Or if there's a poll that needs to be voted on as soon as possible, I'll let you all know through the forum. So if you're interested in any of that, I'd recommend following the forum. If you're worried about a lot of notifications, I'll lock the update one so that only I can post in it and I promise to not flood your inbox or if that is impossible I hope anybody following it will be respectful of those who want to be updated, but don't want random messages coming into their inboxes. So feel free to visit the forum for news and then message me with questions. I'm usually quick to respond. The discussion one will remain open for everyone as I truly want to see more interaction there.

I wanted to know if you guys wanted to do birthdays. I know that sounds silly to ask for it so late, so that's why it's up to you guys. I'll do a poll for it and if you're interested then send in a date. Preferably not between October 13 and November 13 as that'll be kind of awkward seeing how we've already passed those days, but hey if you do pick one of those days we'll get back around to it eventually.

I'll reveal to you now my original intent for this story. I never intended to follow this story in a manner similar to Fairy Tail where….. Everything goes wrong in a consecutive order over and over and over again, then time skip and over and over and over again. That's not real life. There's gotta be spaces of good times and in Anime, these usually only last 24 hours. My original intent for the Brightholt Chronicles was to consecutively Chronicle (see what I did there) the lives of people in Brightholt, but to do so in gaps of time. So for example, this arc we are in would end and then there might be a mini time-skip where all was well and relationships have progressed and people have grown stronger. The next arc would start and I'd recap early on the major points of the time missed and reveal the rest as we went. So you might find that people in a relationship last arc are now no longer in one and vice versa. Friends had a falling out and enemies became family. So my job would be to show all of what changed in the time-skip while introducing a new problem. This design fed right into my impatience with waiting a year for a scene to unfold. But with other writers here as inspiration, I've gotten better at being patient and so I'll have a poll and you all will decide. Do you want the above set up or do you want me to write it in a way you're used to?

**Origm2012 News**

I have released a third story. This is a combination of the lore that I received from a lot of you. It's really interesting for me personally to write it and shout out to The Impostor for helping with it. So I hope to see you guys there.

Thanks for reading.


	12. Not a Clown

**November 13, X791, 5:00 P.M, Coliseum, Main Arena**

"Ladies and Gentleman!" boomed Eli's voice from the center of the arena. "Today is our third day of the tournament! I'm certain everyone is enjoying the show, right?" he asked knowingly.

The citizens of Brightholt erupted into cheers at simply the sight of the man, let alone his words. They were eating up everything he had to say and as the beginning of the next match drew close they seemed even more excitable.

The three guild masters of Brightholt sat entirely rigid. Each in disgust at just the sight of the man and the idea that the people around them could be so blind to how twisted he really was, only served to be aggravating.

"So without further ado!" shouted Eli once more. "Here are our four contenders!"

The first mage to enter the arena was Melody Stanz. Her brush with Vado's S-class mission had shown her just how much danger really lurked out in the world and so much of the last two weeks for her had been spent in an effort to refocus herself as a mage. Her long flowing curls were pulled back in a ponytail. She seemed to trade in her frilly dress for a pair of skin tight shorts and a short sleeve shirt that hugged her frame, but left enough room for her cleavage to peek out just a bit. Despite the change in attire her taste remained the same as always, as both the shorts and shirt were vibrant colors of pink and green with blue music notes scattered around it.

She waved politely to the crowd as they cheered, but the appearance of the next participant caused her to furrow her brow a bit as her green eyes met his.

Aeden Rythmia was fairly new to Brightholt and his choice of guild and relation to Francheska would have given anybody reason to be wary of him.

He however seemed rather cheerful. Having not seen much action in some time, the Scarlet Phantom mage was happy to fight just about anyone and what's more, this was an important fight for his guild so he'd have to try his hardest.

His eye narrowed on Melody and while he seemed to bear a look that screamed 'ready for battle' it also seemed to be a mix of wanting to see what everyone else was made of, which was something that Melody had to guess was triumph as far as Scarlet Phantom mages usually went.

The pair weren't left alone long as eventually Shion and Aoba entered the arena.

They wore happy grins as they waved to the guild members up in the stands and Aoba was certain she could hear Tally screaming over just about everyone in the arena.

She turned to Melody and Aeden and said, "Best of lu-"

"Good Luck Aoba!" screeched Tally forcing the arena to go silent.

Aoba pinched the bridge of her nose under her veiled face as she waited for her hearing to return, but a smile took shape on her face when she thought about her teammate's silliness.

She scanned the stand for where she knew she'd find Tally and shot her a great smile before mouthing the words 'Thank you'.

"Wooo," said Aoba after turning back to her opponents. "As I was saying, best of luck to y-"

"You're gonna do great Aoba!" screeched Tally once more.

"Okay, okay!" Shouted Aoba. "Thanks."

"Good luck gu-" tried Aoba once more.

"They don't stand a ch-" began Tally before she quickly went silent.

Aoba turned to the crowd with visible irritation to her before her eyes landed on Seigfreid handing Tally a bag of candy. He caught Aoba's attention and nodded a good luck to her.

Content now, she turned back once more and essentially fired out, "Good luck to you both."

All three of her opponents had a look of relief on their faces, just glad to finally have the match get under way.

"Now that that annoyance has been dealt with," began Eli from above. "We can finally begin."

Aoba shot him a glare from where she stood, but before she could say anything, he shouted "Begin!"

All four mages instant jumped back to a different corner of the arena and awaited their opponent.

Each of them was set to steal a key before the other, but first there was a beast to deal with.

Within a few moments all of their anticipation was answered. A singularity appeared just above the four mages and it grew until it was big enough to spit out their opponent.

A giant armadillo landed before them. Each mage quickly scanned its body for the location of its keys and within moments, both were found. Around the neck of the creature was a collar and from this collar hung both keys.

"Okay," said Shion. "Let's do this Aoba."

She nodded in agreement and the pair shot off towards the creature.

Shion not being one for prolonged fights sought to end this battle quickly.

"Arctic arm," he shouted as several layers of ice coated his arm.

He closed in on the beast's head and it tried to swat him away with its tail. It quickly discovered that Aoba had enclosed most its lower body in strings already making moving nearly impossible.

Shion's fist crashed into the beast and it was sent sliding across the arena.

"See that wasn't so hard," said Aoba as she made her way to keys dangling from the creature's neck.

"Sonic Hertz!" yelled melody as her voice echoed out in waves towards Aoba.

The intense scream brought the string mage to her knees and her hands to her ears.

Shion moved to help her, but his eyes caught hold of Aeden beginning to move. He assumed the Scarlet Phantom mage was going for a key, but he was utterly surprised to see him dart straight at Shion.

"Helle Platten des Zorns wird Ihr letzter Anblick sein!" he shouted as his arms were coated in steel.

He closed in on Shion and his steel fist crashed into Shion's Ice fist.

The force echoed through the arena, before cracks spread through Shion's ice and it broke off.

A disgruntled look grew upon Aeden's face. "I hope you've got more left," he said almost hopefully.

Aoba was quickly aware that she'd have to save herself, so she painfully released one hand from her ears and flung towards Melody.

The string just barely caught hold of the lace on her boots and with tricky movement of her fingers and a slight tug, she managed to tie her string and Melody's shoelaces together.

Another pull had a surprised Melody flat on her back. Aoba extended another set of strings towards the knot currently between Melody's feet and pulled with all her strength. In a moment, Melody was airborne with her feet tied together.

Aoba had pulled her several feet into the air and now with one final pull in the direction of the fallen Armadillo, she sent Melody crashing into its hard shell.

The blond hit it with a thud and fell to the floor.

She was silent for a bit, but eventually she pulled herself to her knees and with her nose bleeding and likely broken, she huffed out through clenched teeth, "That hurt!"

Those few words explained more than was needed as Shion knew who he was standing in front of, someone who loved the thrill of a good fight.

He furrowed his brow at the thought of fighting for a long time, but eventually settled on winning no matter what and said, "Nope, I'm just getting started. Arctic Backlash!"

With a swipe of his free hand a wind of deathly cold air crashed into Aeden and sent him hurdling back into the arena wall. The wind kept his back pinned to the wall and with the flow of the wind pushing him, Shion soon began flying towards Aeden.

"Frost Slicers," he uttered quickly as with each diagonal swipe of his hand a condensed arm's length of ice closed in on his opponent.

"Laß die Winde der Rache reißen Sie auseinander!" said Aeden as a seemingly interested smile took root on his face.

Soon his steel arms were uncoated and in their place, a light coating of wind surrounded him. The arctic wind pinning him to the wall was slowly pryed off of him as another warmer one fought it.

The iced slashes closing in on him barely missed him as he jumped from where he had been pinned.

A quick maneuvering of Shion's hands allowed him to alter the direction of the freezing wind. He was now on a collision course with Aeden and the mage who was currently wrapped in a wind of his own readied himself for impact.

Shion coated his arms in ice again and as the two drew near, they readied to collide once more.

Before either of them could connect, a loud roar drew their attention. In the moment after the roar, Shion had quickly been swatted from the air and sent crashing into the ground.

"Shion!" shouted Aoba as she jumped to his side.

She helped him to his feet and the armadillo roared once more.

It had swatted the Eternal Knight mage with its tail in ease after having regained consciousness.

It continued roaring in frustration until spikes shout out of its armored body.

The spikes easily tore through the strings that held it in place and it slowly crawled to its feet.

It seemed to be eyeing each mage in anger and then it charged after them.

It bucked its head to hit them with the spikes atop it, but quickly found that the mages around it were quite fast.

Its next movements brought forth a mixture of confusion and horror. The armadillo curled upon itself into the shape of a ball and now with its spikes still poking outward began rolling at the mages.

"Holy crap," said Shion. "Arctic Arm!"

He unleashed a wave of ice at the beast in an attempt to slow it down, but it pressed on unhindered.

As it closed in on Aoba and Shion, Aoba had to grab hold of Shion to help him jump out of the way.

It crashed into the wall behind them and then quickly rolled towards its next target. Aeden Rythmia.

As it rolled Melody was attempting to hit it with 'Sonic Hertz' to no avail. The attacks ricocheted off the armored body of the armadillo and it continued rolling on.

Aeden had switched back to his steel arms and as the armadillo closed in on him, he swung a steel coated fist at it.

The steel met the armored body and Aeden quickly regretted him decision. The speed the creature had moved with and the hardness of its body vs. the hardness of Aeden's steel quickly combated one another.

Most everyone would have been flattened and spiked instantly, but his steel arms allowed him to remain upright and continue pushing against the armadillo.

He struggled to bring it to a stop, sparks flying off where his hand met its body; spikes tearing into his knuckles.

Nevertheless, he was fighting a losing battle and the creature's was slowly pushing him to another wall of the arena. Once there he was likely to be shredded.

Unaware of the danger behind him, he continued pushing on hoping to stop the beast.

In the moment that his heel touched the wall, he'd realized his mistake and a quick search of options left him with none, but to hope for the best.

But he was never pushed back further as slowly the creature slowed down allowing him to push back.

Aoba had cast her threads around the armadillo once more and as she continuously did so, Shion coated them in ice making them much harder to break. With the creature slowing down, Melody hit it from the side with a technique called 'siren screech', its frequency so high it actually caused little cracks to appear in his shell.

Aeden pushed back and little by little the armadillo was centered in the middle of the arena.

It was soon slowed to a stop and hiding in its shell.

Aeden switch to his wind mode once more and unleashed a small burst of wind at the beast as he layed into it with punch after punch.

Shion let out a gale of frozen wind on the beast and Aoba used her strings to slowly pry open the beast.

With its head exposed for just a moment Shion, with an icy fist, and Aeden, again in his steel form, charged at it with their attacks readied. They crashed into its skull rendering it immobile once more.

They stood entirely still, trying to catch their breaths, and Aeden gave a quick nod of thanks to the other three combatants.

However, his eyes soon landed on the collar that was within arm's reach and Shion caught on moments later.

They both dove for a key, until to find them pluck away by a pair of strings.

Both strings sailed through the air towards Aoba, who stood with a sly grin on her face, however, melody quickly unleashed a sound wave at the keys in midair knocking one loose and sending it skidding along the ground.

The other fell into Aoba's grasp and her expression, not that it could be seen, became a mix of glee, frustration and exhaustion.

Within moments she was teleported out of the arena, leaving the other three mages eyeing the second key.

Melody being the closest moved for it first only to be knocked off her feet by a gust of icy wind.

She regained her footing in midair and landed on her feet on the other side of the key.

With Shion and Aeden back on their feet, the trio of mages stood around the key in a triangle; each mage focused on the other two and looking for an opening.

Melody moved first, unleashing a sound wave at Shion who dove under it at the key, only to be kicked away by wind from Aeden.

Aeden moved for it next and soon found himself frozen in place from ice being thrown by Shion as he sailed through the air.

With Melody completely unhindered she reached for the key, but quickly lost her footing as the ground shook. Her eyes scanned the area for the source of the shaking and found Aeden coated in steel again and punching the ice on his feet.

Melody echoed a sound wave off the ground, forcing the key to hover just slightly and as she reached for it, a torrent of ice froze her and the key.

Shion landed and his eyes went wide at the image of the key frozen and just inches out of a frozen Melody's grasp.

His time for feeling bad was quickly dissipated as the ice shook and then shattered, revealing Melody holding a high pitched note.

The shattering propelled the key up and a now free Aeden jumped for it.

He was quickly hit away by an icy wind and a sound wave, sending him skidding along the ground as he crashed.

His eyes narrowed at the other two mages and the key fell between them once more.

"Okay," chuckled Aeden. "This is just what I needed."

He charged forward, forcing both Shion and Melody to do the same.

Both mages believed that he was going for the key, but Shion having already the look in Aeden's eye right now, knew better.

As they neared the key, Aeden jumped past it at the two mages.

His palm collided with Melody's chest and sent her sliding along the ground, but Shion had slid under the hand meant for him.

With no means of being caught, he quickly ran toward the key.

Unfortunately, this had been accounted for by Aeden. He quickly switched to his wind form and punched forward, launching a fist of wind.

With his back turned to Aeden, Shion had no means of dodging and the attack crashed into him.

Aeden watched the two mages around him, acknowledging their efforts before moving towards the keys.

"This was fun guys," he huffed and picked up the key.

* * *

**November 14, X791, 10:00 A.M, Scarlet Phantom Guild Hall, Madeline's Room**

Madeline had woken up for the first time two days ago and not a moment too soon after Adrienne told her what had happened.

She didn't know how to feel. It was mix of anger, frustration, denial, and exhaustion. Madeline was one of the guild's strongest members and had successfully come to uphold the values that her Master treasured better than essentially every other member. She and her sister had a different view on the world and even now he couldn't agree with all of Alice's dispositions and decisions, but Madeline herself knew she couldn't remain the way she had been. For her own sake and the future of the guild she would have to change.

After Fuyumi's win in the coliseum, Eli had teleported her to a location within the arena and shortly thereafter Narissa had come to pick up the mage. The guild master had found Fuyumi thrashing through the room in a rage and quickly restrained her.

When she returned to the guild with the young mage and released her, Fuyumi quickly attacked her guild master in her rage.

The guild members had watched as Narissa knocked the mage back with ease. They had watched how even in that moment she seemed to think so little of her own mages.

But before Narissa had a chance to speak, Madeline had woken up and come down into the main hall to see what the commotion was.

Much of the guild had widened their eyes in surprise and were instantly relieved to see the red head.

Narissa herself had grown a smile for a moment, but before she could be given a chance to say a kind word or two, her eyes had locked with the glare in Madison's eyes. A glare that had seemed to almost be daring Narissa to harm Fuyumi again. Admittedly it was a glare that Narissa hadn't seen since the day she met the Sable twins.

And so, on that night Narissa bit her tongue and left for her office.

Currently, Madeline was lying in bed resting. She had suffered a lot physically and local doctors suggested she get rest, but the red head was tired of being restrained to a bed anymore.

So she was glad to go for some fresh air and beside her walked a very calm and relaxed Fuyumi.

They walked silently and had been silent for pretty much the last two days. Only Fuyumi fussing about her idol getting some rest or eating food and Madeline telling her not to worry, she would be fine soon enough.

"Are you mad at me?" asked Fuyumi as she finally broke the silence.

The older mage sighed in relief. Madeline had been waiting for Fuyumi to ask the question she knew was bothering her.

"No Fuyumi," began Madeline as they walked. "I've got no reason to be mad at you. You haven't done anything wrong," she added with emphasis on 'you'.

"Hmm," sighed Fuyumi before she quickly perked up. "I'm glad you aren't mad at me. I really wanted to come see you and I would have done so sooner but-"

"I understand Fuyumi," said Madeline. "I'd never hold it against you."

The younger red head smiled in relief and then quickly asked, "So where are we going?"

"Hmmm," sighed Madeline. "We're… Already here," she said as they came to a stop.

The two red heads were outside 2 story building owned by Xanthia Apothecary.

They walked into the building and they could hear Alivia walking back and forth quickly on the second floor.

"Ms. Xanthia?" called out Madeline.

The pacing came to a stop and the older lady peeked over the banister to see who had come into her store.

Her eyes landed on Madeline and she nodded as if she knew why the red head had come in.

"So what are we here for?" asked Fuyumi.

"I asked Camryn if her mother would be able to whip up something to help build my stamina back up," said Madeline.

Within in a moment Alivia could be heard telling Camryn to bring down the potion and that she had the rest of the day off.

A moment later, the glyph magic mage was walking down the stairs with a crate in her hand, her red guild mark shining a bit from the light coming through the bottom floor windows.

"Here you go," said Camryn cheerfully. "How've you been feeling? Well both of you I guess?"

Both Fuyumi and Madeline quickly grew a shade redder in embarrassment as it set in how many people had known about their situations.

"Um," began Fuyumi.

"I'm feeling much better, thank you Camryn," said Madeline as she tried to regain control of the situation.

"Ahh. I've been saying for years, you can just call me Cammie," said Camryn.

"My apologies, somehow that feels improper," said Madeline.

"Geez," chuckled Camryn. "Well, can I at least here what happened that you need all this stuff."

"That too seems a bit person-," began Madeline.

Madeline looked over at Fuyumi who was waiting to see what she'd say and then her own words quickly came back to her, a change had to be made somewhere. Janus' warnings rang through her head and her talk with Adrienne seemed to ease her thoughts.

"As a matter of fact sure," said Madeline. "But we were just going for a walk; would you like to come Cam-mie?"

Camryn eyes went wide in excitement. "Sure!" she half shouted.

He three mages exited the store with the box of potions and Camryn could be heard saying, "I knew one of these days I'd wear you down."

* * *

**November 14, X791, 10:00 A.M, Nova Eos Tree Hall**

Chel's orange eyes were currently flittering between the drink in her hand and the cape and suspender wearing, exceed holding, loveable little mage beside her, Chiyori.

Something about the young mage gave Chel a feeling that she hadn't had when she was wandering by herself. The young mage and her exceed, Butterlee, were locked in a fierce game of patty cake and just the sight of them put a smile on Chel's face.

Her brief moment of relaxedness came to a halt at the appearance of Shaw and Junjo.

"So why do you look constipated?" asked Shaw as he snickered behind the older mage, Junjo.

Chel rolled her eyes in annoyance, before turning to them slowly.

"I see someone is still upset they're a chump," she teased as she took another sip of her drink.

"Who's a chump?" asked Shaw as he angrily stepped up closer. "Oh no. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I'm scum. Bury me."

With a subtle pulse of magic from Chel she'd quickly forced Shaw through a roulette of feeling before he limped away in a fake exhaustion.

"That was so cool!" cheered Chiyori. "Do you think Chiyori could learn how to do that?"

"Of course," said Chel as she pulled the younger girl into a tight hug. "You can do anything you set your mind to."

"I'd like to set my mind to taking you to dinner," said Junjo.

Chel had hoped he'd take a hint from Shaw's defeat and walk off as well.

The last few weeks had shown Shaw and Junjo's relentlessness. Every few days, Shaw would return in an attempt at evening the score and Junjo would attempt to ask her out again. Eventually they'd both end up on the losing end of her magic though.

"Junjo," began Chel. "I'm trying to give you a chance to walk away freely today. Just take it."

He quickly dropped to one knee and grabbed hold of her hand. "My dear," he said. "If I leave willingly then it means that this, the heart of a lover, has finally given up on love and this means I might as well be dead."

Chel raised her hand to pulse her emotion magic threw Junjo, but was stopped by Chiyori.

"There's something Chiyori doesn't understand," said Chiyori.

"Hmm, what seems to be the matter dear?" asked Chel.

"Why don't you wanna go on a date with Mr. Junjo?" asked Chiyori.

Junjo's eyes widened at the question and he added, "Yeah, why?"

"Well," said Chel as her eyes in thought. "Well, I can't really remember the reason why."

"Then Chiyori think that Chel is too pretty to stay cooped inside all day," said Chiyori.

Both Chel and Junjo's eyes widened at the statement.

Chel in glee after hearing 'pretty'.

Junjo in victory since he knew the hold Chiyory had on the platinum haired mage.

"It seems, I've got no reason to refuse you Junjo," said Chel with a small smile.

"Great!" cheered Junjo as he jumped to his feet. He quickly took out a little black book and asked, "So when should I pencil you in for?"

A bad feeling hit Chel as her eyes met Junjo's and she ripped the book from his hands.

She looked over his calendar to find it packed with dates to different women all through the month.

"I remember now," she grumbled as her fist tightened and she swung upwards into Junjo's jaw, sending him flying into the guild elevator and crashing to the basement. "Schedule me in for never!"

* * *

**November 14, X791, 10:00 A.M, Magdalena's**

Lucia, Javier, Jackie, Korianne, and Rau sat at a table on the S-class mage upper floor portion of the restaurant.

"It was really nice of you guys to let us up here after training," said Rau.

"Yup, the food at Magdalena's is great," began Javier. "But it's always too packed down there. I wish they'd have a closed off section for other mages too."

"Or you could just pass the S-class exam," teased Jackie.

This warranted an eye roll from Javier as he stuck his tongue out at her from across the table.

Each mage was currently enjoying their meal. Each mage except for one. Lucia's mind was elsewhere as she slowly pushed the linguini on her plate back and forth with her fork.

The other mages hadn't noticed, but Korianne soon picked up on the movement. She narrowed her eyes in thought as she slowly tried to get the attention of everyone else.

One by one, she succeeded in pulling them from their oblivious joy and slowly the conversation died down as all four mages had their eyes on one of Brightholt's greatest.

Even in the weird state she was in, Lucia seemed to notice the sudden quiet that surrounded her and she looked up to find all eyes on her.

She wrinkled her nose in annoyance and said, "Do I have something on my face? Or am I just that pretty?"

The group was silent for a moment, each one of the mages trying to get the other to ask the obvious question 'what was wrong?'.

When no one spoke up, Lucia got a bit irritated and said, "Somebody better tell me why everyone is staring at me."

"Um," began Korianne. "You haven't touched your food and you seemed to be really deep in thought and well, we were wondering what was wrong?"

"Tch," grumbled Lucia. She bit back the venom currently forming in her mind as she knew it wasn't meant for Korianne. "My apologies for spoiling the meal."

"Don't worry about the food Lucia," said Jackie. "We just want to know if something's wrong."

"The tournament," said Lucia. "And the match-ups."

"Are you nervous about your match?" asked Javier.

She shook her head and said, "It's the match tomorrow that has me worried."

The group around her sat in thought as they tried to remember the match-ups and the dates and eventually they all came to the same conclusion.

"Christina's match?" asked Rau.

"You're worried about her?" asked Javier in surprise. "She's so strong, even if Rosca's her opponent, she'll still be alright. I mean Rau proved it. The ranks don't mean much."

Lucia eyed the mages that sat before her. "You all have no idea," she said coolly. "Christina mentioned it during her match with Shaw, the ranks aren't as rigid as you might think. But the gap between some people is quite a lot."

Through clenched teeth she added, "And what's more. She specifically told me she doesn't want any help from me to prepare for her fight. So this entire time, she's been training alone."

"You can't believe she's that in over her head, right?" asked Korianne.

Lucia sat in thought and eventually her eyes landed on Rau. "I'd never take anything away from your accomplishments Rau or look down on any of you, but the truth of the matter is, I'm stronger than all of you," she said quietly. "There's only a handful of mages that can give me a challenge, save for The Harbinger. I've fought Rosca a lot and I know him better than anyone else because of that. There's no reason he'd even want to participate in any tournament. Except for the first time Vado is participating and the question of who the strongest mage is will finally be answered. I believe he'll do anything to fight Vado even if that includes tearing down his opponents."

"So you think Rosca might kill Christina tomorrow?" asked Korianne worriedly.

"I do," said Christina as she took a sip of her drink.

"Then we should do something," said Javier to which the other mages agreed.

"We can't!" shouted Lucia as she slammed her drink back down, shattering the glass. "Every mage is putting themselves on the line in Eli's sick game, including Christina. All we can do is respect her."

"That's it?" asked Rau. "You're just gonna sit here?"

"Yes," said Lucia calmly as she picked up her fork once more and began pushing her linguini about once more. "I'm just gonna sit here."

* * *

**November 15, X791, 9:00 P.M, Coliseum, Main Arena**

"And we're back at it!" shouted Eli to the fans in the arena.

To his right stood Christina and across from her was the man behind a mask that was currently smiling sweetly, Rosca.

"Begin!" boomed Eli as he disappeared from the arena.

Within an instant, both Christina and Rosca were teleported to a circular platform in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. The platform itself was see-through and there seemed to a large body of water miles beneath.

Christina scanned the blue haired mage for an opening or a tell. But his carefree posture and his currently smiling mask gave none.

"I can't say I've been looking forward to this," said Christina.

"Oh," said Rosca. "I can definitely say I haven't been. It seems like such a bother to play with old toys when you're soon to get new ones."

"Tch," grumbled Christina. "Lucia was right. You're only in this to fight Vado."

Back in the arena the lacrima screens seemed to be having problems.

"No worries, ladies and gentleman, we're uh, we're working on the issue, "said Eli nervously.

"Lucia's too smart for her own good," said Rosca as he raised his hands in admission. "It'll get her in trouble one day, won't it, Azriel?"

Christina's eyes went wide at that name, Holy light encased her feet and in a flash she was behind Rosca spinning out into a kick aimed for his head.

The attack passed through him and he now stood where she had stood.

"Relax. Relax, Christina. "I turned off their screens so no one heard that name," said Rosca.

The God slayer seemed to calm down for a moment before narrowing her eyes at the mage before her, "Now what?"

"Hmm, what indeed?" asked Rosca as he walked forward and began encircling Christina. "I could have you forfeit. Or I could have you jump off this platform. I'm sure you'd rather die than have anyone hear that name. Though you'd probably survive. Or I could have you stand there and let me hit you."

"Or maybe something more unsavory," he teased as he pulled at her collar a bit.

Christina clenched her teeth in aggravation. "Get on with it!" she shouted. "What do you want?"

"Me?" he asked playfully before quickly getting serious and his mask becoming expressionless. "I want you to know there are people far smarter than you Azriel. I don't care what you do. Or who you do what to since I'll get to enjoy myself no matter what. Now we have a match to conduct, yes? Be sure to give it your all or who knows my tongue might slip again and this time the screens will be on."

He snapped his finger and back in the arena the screens came on and the people cheered.

"Like I said folks, everything is fine," bellowed Eli's voice.

Christina narrowed her eyes in disgust at the man. "You're truly a despicable man," she said angrily. "You think that will make a difference. I'll put you in your place today."

Holy light enveloped her once more and she took off towards Rosca.

Fueled by her anger, she unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks.

Each one easily sidestepped and deflected.

As she continued her onslaught, Christina caught a glimpse of another Rosca sitting across the arena having tea. He acted surprised by her appearance and waved her over for a cup.

Christina felt a vein twitch in annoyance and screamed "Holy God's Searing Rain of Ra!"

A large amount of holy light enveloped her and then shot off above them before returning as holy rain. The rain continued for a few seconds and Christina watched as Rosca's body was torn to pieces by the rain.

A content smile accidentally slipped to her lips until there was a pop sound just above her.

She looked up to see an umbrella opening and found it being held Rosca.

"The weatherman always gets these things wrong, huh?" asked Rosca, his mask one of serious thought.

"Holy God's Blaze of Radiance" screeched Christina, forcing light to encase her arm and form into a sword.

She stabbed at Rosca and he said, "No no no no no. Children shouldn't play with sharp things."

He quickly took out a playing card and blocked the incoming sword of holy light with the paper. In an instant the magic disappeared and in place of the playing card was another card with a picture of the holy sword.

"I'll just get rid of this," he said as he tore the card up.

She growled in frustration and attempted to force another sword into existence, but found she couldn't.

"Okay," yawned another Rosca who sat across the arena juggling with his feet. "I'm bored of you."

"Labyrinth," said Rosca.

With a flick of his hand and one word, the arena was soon covered in a labrinyth made of nothing, but mirrors.

The crowd watched in confusion and horror and excitement.

"She's done for now, isn't she?" asked Javier as he eyed the expression on Lucia's face.

"Nope," she responded as she wiped a small tear away. "That means he plans to take it easy on her."

Christina currently ran through the mirror labyrinth, watching endless reflections do the same.

"Where are you mask wearing bastard!" she yelled.

She turned to break the glass and her fist shattered it easily, but in the time that she blinked it had rebuilt itself.

"Didn't your mother teach you not to break mirrors?" teased Rosca. "Well I guess your mother wouldn't have, eh Azr-"

"Holy God's Bellow!" roared Christina.

The roar tore down the entire labyrinth for a moment and then it was quickly restored.

From where Christina stood, her back was to the wall and she was watching her reflections in a circular room.

She panicked when she felt an arm close in around her throat.

"That wasn't very nice," said Rosca as his mask pouted. "Manners. You need to learn manners and we're gonna work at it until you do."

From where he choked her, his free hand brutally punched the side of her head. He smashed her head into the mirror tossing her across the room by her throat.

Another Rosca was already picking her up and so they continued that cycling of beating for quite some time.

Eventually he grabbed hold of her bottom lip and drew on it with a marker. Then repeated the process for her top lip and painted her face white.

"See now you look B-E-A-Utiful," he remarked as he sized her up to the common clown in his mind. "But clowns aren't really all that exciting, right?"

Christina could barely talk from the pain she was in.

He grabbed her by her hair. "I said, But clowns aren't really all that exciting, right?"

"Right," she cried.

"Oh, tears. Ugh. Boring," he said, singing out boring.

He took out a playing card and it gleamed from its sharpness. "Might as well kill you if you're so sad," he said.

Before he could finish his work an alarm glared, surprising even Rosca. Suddenly they were back in Brightholt and beside him lay Christina.

Lucia had already jumped down and while she glared at Rosca, her eyes were scanning over Christina for a mortal wound or injury.

Eli jumped down as well with an angry look on his face. "What the hell was that?" he asked angrily.

"What do you mean?" said Rosca with a playful look on his mask.

"Half way into your match, the two of you and the arena just disappeared and the cameras just relayed an open sky!" screamed Eli.

Master Seigfreid had already jumped down and began escorting Christina out of the arena.

"An illusionist doesn't tend show how he works," said Rosca plainly.

"Ugh!" shouted Eli as he stalked off. "Congrats on your win by default."

"Is that what that sound was, I won because we ran out of time?" asked Rosca as he turned to Lucia.

As he turned to her, a fist collided with his cheek sending him skidding across the arena.

He now held a devilish look on his mask and held an already sharpened card in his hand.

Lucia had wasted no time in summoning her celestial spirit The Moon.

"How long?" asked Lucia.

"What do you mean?" asked Rosca.

"Don't fuck with me?" she yelled. "How long did you have her in there?"

"Ohhhhh," smiled Rosca. "You mean in the big top? Hmmm. I'd say 7 or 8…days."

Her eyes narrowed at Rosca. A portion of his magic allowed him to distort one's perception of time and the hour that had been allotted to the match normally could easily have been stretched by him into seemingly forever. However, she was glad. She knew him better than anyone and having fought the psychopath more often than either of them wanted, she knew he could have easily killed Christina.

And so as odd as it would seem to a normal person, her actions felt justified to her, "Thank you," she began. "For not killing her."

"Eh," began Rosca as he sat down on the floor and eyed his rival. "It'd be a lot of work if I did that and you're no fun to fight when you're angry."

Her eyes seemed to burn right through him. "It's too late for that," she spit out. "I'm glad you didn't kill her, but I'm beyond angry. I know you want to fight Vado, but I'll be the first to remind you. You'll have to get through me."

"Oh," he laughed. "What about your other matches? A little presumptuous, aren't we?"

She turned from him and began walking away from him. "I'll be there," she said coldly.

* * *

_**Author's Note**_

Special thanks to everyone for their support.

**How's it going?**

I want you all to be completely honest with me about anything that comes to mind. If you have an idea or a critique or I'm messing up your character, please let me know and we'll work on it.

So a few things this time around. First off, a huge thank you to everyone for their patience with me. My internet was out for the last day and a half and that's why even though this was finished I couldn't post it. Secondly, a huge thank you to every mage's creator who made an appearance this chapter. And for those that didn't, no worries. You'll be seeing them soon. Thirdly, Rosca finally got his debut fight. Ahh, it's really just a piece of what he can do, to be honest. But I was really excited to write it.

So I got a message last month about the pairings in the tournaments. So I'll clarify quickly. I randomly generated the fights a while back. Now all the things that happen in between or because of a fight, I came up with. So if it seems 'scripted', hahaha, it's because I built the story around the fights.

You're all great and I can't ever express how grateful I am to you all.

**Origm2012 News**

Thanks for reading.


	13. Ulterior Motives

**Author's Note:**

So I'm no longer friends with the cable company…

But more importantly, thanks for the patience everyone.

Oh and last week my word document managed to erase a tiny section from a fight. It was supposed to be Aoba undressing Aeden down to underwear mid-fight, then quickly realizing he was too caught up in the fight to even care. But what's done is done, so if you want more Aoba antics, they'll likely come in the future.

But before I continue. We reached 100K words last chapter. I really can't thank you all enough. It means a lot to me that you all read my stories, let alone encourage me to do better. Thank you.

* * *

**November 16, X791, 11:00 A.M, Eternal Knights, Master Seigfreid's Office**

Master Seigfreid sat alone in his office. He was locked in an attempt to decipher Eli's real goal here in Brightholt. Seigfreid was no fool and as much as it pained him to admit it, he knew Eli was no fool either. There had to be some sort of ulterior motive here.

He closed his eyes and subconsciously pinched the bridge of his nose, a habit he'd picked up years ago. The little old man seemed to realize what he'd been doing and a small smile etched itself across his face.

His mind zipped back to the first time he'd ever encountered someone else with magic. He pondered the man in his memory for a second and slowly recalled many of the adventures they'd gone on together. Then ever so slightly, a realization came to Seigfreid.

Seigfreid remembered having fought a particular fight alongside the mage. They had been outnumbered and outgunned, but the older man kept his cool and slowly tired out every opponent, before delivering decisive blows.

"Even now you're helping me Ronso," said Seigfreid softly before the smile on his face turned to a scowl. "I see the game you're playing now Eli."

Everything that Seigfreid had learned once he stepped into the magic world, he had instilled in his students. One of whom currently held the city hostage. Eli had been a wonderful student. Evidence of that was in the injuries which littered Seigfreid's body and somewhere along the line, that story must have made its way to Eli because it was clear to the Eternal Knight Master now. Eli was tiring out the mages of Brightholt for something.

His plan now clear to Seigfreid, the guild master walked to the exit to search out his fellow guild masters.

* * *

**November 16, X791, 1:00 P.M, Eternal Knights, Christina's Room**

Christina lay in her bed resting. She was wearing a more relaxing pair of white shorts and a white short-sleeve shirt. Her inky black hair rested neatly around her and as she was calmly asleep, the scar on her neck could be seen clearly.

Her room was not one of particular interest as Christina kept it simple. Besides the small cot that lay beside her bed, the cream colored room had only a bed, a dresser and a few windows. Within the cot beside her was a white, baby blizzardvern. As she slept, many of the Eternal Knight mages and even a few mages from the other guilds stopped by to check in on the sleeping Christina.

With Christina asleep most of the mages deferred to Lucia, who had yet to leave the room, for a status update.

In the room also sat Korianne who was healing Christina off and on. A quick analysis by the water and wind mage assured everyone that Christina would be fine with rest. Her mind was likely shot from Rosca's week long torturous combat, but she was sure to recover in time.

Lucia's eyes had been locked on the god slayer for the entire night and though Christina had awoken many times, she was quick to fall back asleep.

"You should get some rest Lucia," said Korianne.

The words registered for Lucia, but she made no effort to acknowledge them forcing Korianne to try again.

"You've got your own match today Lucia," began Korianne. "You've been up all night and if you don't rest, you'll probably lose."

Without turning to her, Lucia's blue eyes focused on Korianne. She glared at her for a moment before softening her gaze.

"I won't lose," she said coldly before standing to her feet.

As she stood, there was a rustling from Christina and the god slayer slowly opened her eyes.

"Morning," she yawned as she stretched in bed.

She made a motion to sit up, but quickly felt the soreness of her body and laid back down in defeat.

"Guess I got beat up pretty badly," she said as a small smile took its place on her face.

"You're too reckless," Korianne half shouted surprising both Lucia and Christina. "You should have asked for help. Or stopped the match. Or something," she quickly spat out.

The sudden fierceness in Korianne forced a chuckle from Christina who was now turned on her side for Korianne to examine her wounds and bruises.

The stopped laughing for a moment and without turning to address Lucia she said, "I don't think you have to have such a serious face on Lucia."

"Hmmm. I don't think it matters what face I have on," said Lucia. "I'm still going to do what I want."

"I know," said Christina as she winced at a bruise Korianne was prodding. "I just don't think it suits you. Besides, I knew what I was getting into."

"I'll check back in with you later. I've got a match to prepare for," said Lucia.

"You're not mad I didn't ask for your help," teased Christina.

"Tch, shut up," said Lucia as she was leaving.

The room was quiet for a time since Christina mostly just let Korianne work on her injuries.

"Why'd you do it?" asked Korianne. "Why not take help here?"

"Ugh," began Christina as she began recalling the fight in her head. "It just didn't feel right to me. I wanted to see how far I could get on my own. Now I know. I know exactly what he's capable of now."

Korianne watched the girl in thought. Knowing full well that she wasn't saying everything on her mind, but Korianne decided to let it be and to simply get Christina back in top shape.

"Fine!" she shouted as she playfully flipped Christina over again, forcing a grunt of pain out. "You're to stay here on bed rest for the next few days. You're lucky most of the injuries could be dealt with by my magic."

"You got it doc," teased Christina.

* * *

**November 16, X791, 1:00 P.M, Alliance Hall**

"What was so important that you called an emergency meeting?!" shouted Narissa.

She had a tired look in her eyes, but she trying really hard to appear ferocious.

"A pleasure as always," said Jade as he rolled his eyes. "But she's right. What's the emergency?"

"Hmm," began Seigfreid. "I have no actual proof. But I feel strongly, that Eli has another plan in the works. This tournament is a ploy, in my opinion, to tire out the mages of Brightholt before he moves forward with whatever he's scheming."

The room was silent for a moment before Jade said, "That's a pretty serious claim Roy and you've got no proof too."

"Are you sure you're not the one with a ploy here?" asked Narissa. "We both know what you're gonna ask next. How do we know you're not scheming to get ahead in this tournament? We all started at 100 points, but now you're in last with 75."

She pointed over at Jade and continued, "He's even beating me by 5 points."

"Jade," began Master Seigfreid. "I commend you're guild for their success so far, but this is important. I think it's pivotal, that we all refocus our efforts and mages on finding out Eli's plan."

Jade thought over his old friend's words. It hadn't been easy, but Nova Eos was in the lead with 85 points. Now Eli was suggesting they ignore Eli's summons for the tournament and send the mages out to track down Eli. If Seigfreid was wrong, then violating Eli's rules meant dissolution and if he was right, then it meant he could save his family from this deadly tournament.

"You don't actually think I'd be so underhanded, do you?" asked Seigfreid.

The question pulled Jade from his thoughts. He pointed at Narissa with a smile and said, "No Seigfreid. I'm not as jaded as she is. I don't think you'd be so underhanded, but I have to think about the efforts of my mages thus far and the possibility that he has no plan."

Jade stood to his feet prompting the other masters to do the same. "I have no choice, but to continue the way I have Seigfreid."

"I too, will stay in the tournament," said Narissa. "But if you want to sacrifice your guild so we can get this over with, feel free to do so."

"If you need me," added Jade. "Just call, my friend."

The old master walked through the door way leading to his office in quiet.

* * *

**November 16, X791, 1:00 P.M, Scarlet Phantom, Training Grounds**

Achilles stood proudly as he looked over the two mages sprawled out in front of him.

Both were new members of Scarlet Phantom and for the last 2 weeks, they had been assigned to train with Achilles. So whenever possible, Karma and Rook found themselves training with the battle crazed mage.

"Ok!" shouted Achilles. "Break's over."

"That's was a break?!" shouted Karma as he tried to catch his breath.

Achilles' eyes met the green ones behind Karma's shaggy black hair and they glared at each other for a moment.

"We have a duty to perform in this tournament," began Achilles. "Losing is a sign of weakness and although you're new, it should be fairly obvious that weakness isn't appreciated in our guild."

"Did you lose your last match?" Rook asked calmly.

The question caught Achilles off guard for a moment before he continued his speech, "Yes! I did!" he yelled. "That's exactly why it's good I was put in charge of helping you."

"Whatever," said Karma as he rolled his eyes and peered down at the purple guild mark on his hand. "I'm done for the day."

"I didn't say you were done," said Achilles.

"My match is in a few hours. I need rest. So I'm done," said Karma and with that he walked off.

Rook rolled her eyes in disgust at both men before she added, "Don't worry about it. He's probably just scurrying home to take care of his baby vulcan, but he's not wrong, he needs rest if he's going to fight later."

Achilles grumbled as he realized that Rook was right. "Well, rest isn't going to help him if his magic is faced with something he's not prepared for."

Rook jumped to her feet with a sigh, "Oh well, it'll be fun to watch his rashness cost him. Now let's get back to training."

Achilles felt a chill run down his spine as he registered those words as something Master Narissa would say. "I can see why took a liking to you two already," he said as he took his stance.

* * *

**November 16, X791, 1:00 P.M, Nova Eos, Tree Hall**

Roger Diederic was currently fixated on his match later on in the day. Sure he'd been practicing from time to time, but he hadn't given it much thought. He was new to the town and couldn't quite grasp exactly how he was supposed to deal with everything happening. He had a hard enough time just learning what led where in his new home, let alone inheriting what was clearly some sort of ill will from a supposedly powerful person.

But. He was a mage of Nova Eos now and was more than willing to try his best for his new family. Master Jade had made as much, clear to them. Give it your all, give them hell and worry about the rest afterwards.

The match card in his hand showed that he'd be in a match alongside his guild mate Chel D'Amour. He wrinkled his nose at the thought. He'd had very little time with the woman, but it was clear to Roger that she had settled in much easier than he had. He looked around the guild and found her and several other mages seated at the bar and locked in a drinking contest which she was likely to win, because from afar it was clear she was cheating.

"No need to look so glum Rocket," said a voice from behind Roger.

Back in Crocus, Roger had become accustomed to being called by his nickname 'Rocket' and had tried to get it to carry over in his new home. His attempts had mostly failed so far, but he turned to see who had successfully called him Rocket and found Kenneth.

"Kenneth!" he accidentally shouted.

"Um, yeah?" asked Kenneth as he thought over his decision to come towards the mage.

"You're the first person other than the master to call me Rocket," said Roger happily.

"Oh," began Kenneth. "Well, that's what you wanted to be called. I'm sure everyone else will come around eventually. You ready for your match?"

Roger sighed. "As ready as I can be," he said. "I still don't get why this one guy has so much say in this town."

"Well, it's kinda complicated," said Kenneth as he thought over The Collector's Bell Kin status, relation to the mayor and the money he pumped into the city.

"It must be," said Roger as a smile reached his face. "But I'll still give it my all tonight."

Kenneth slapped an arm on Roger's back and said, "That's what I wanna hear Rocket! I'll get us some drinks."

"I win again!" slurred a fake drunk Chel.

His eyes landed on the ruckus coming from the bar and he quickly took his seat again. "Yeah, maybe later on those drinks."

* * *

**November 16, X791, 4:00 P.M, Coliseum, Main Arena**

Roger Diederic, Chel D'Amour, Taliba Rhanzin, and Karma stood facing one another in the center of the arena.

Eli had already announced the match would soon be beginning and quickly left the arena. Now all 4 mages awaited whatever creature was set to appear.

A bright light surrounded each of the mages faces and when it dissipated, they each had a breathing apparatus around their faces.

"I've grown a bit bored with the way the last few matches went!" boomed Eli's voice. "So I decided to spice things up a bit."

4 blue lacrima appeared in the ring and began pouring out water. Within minutes, the water had risen up above even the crowd in the stands and the mages found themselves inside a cylindrical body of water.

Karma could be seen taking off his breathing apparatus. Once off, he revealed his personal gas mask which served the additional function of a breathing apparatus.

"The rules are simple!" shouted Eli once more. "Grab the keys as usual, but this time if you come above the water you lose."

"Why the hell would we come above the water if we can breathe with these masks on?!" yelled Chel.

"Who knows?!" laughed Eli. "Begin!"

A singularity appeared, but with it under the water the usual pop couldn't be heard. A large, fully grown Orca came forth. The black and white whale stretched across almost half the arena and tied to each of his fins was a key.

"You can't be serious!" shouted Rocket. "It'll eat us alive!"

He had little time to think as he was quickly chosen as the first opponent for the Orca and it darted right for him.

"Oh hell no!" he yelled forcing water to froth back and forth and bubbles to rise around him.

Magic surged through his arm as the orca neared him, opening its mouth to tear him apart.

He cocked back, kicked up furiously to get just above the orca and unleashed his fist upon the orca's head, sending it spiraling to the arena floor they all floated above now.

As that had happened Chel had moved to help her guild mate, but found herself quickly cut off by Karma.

"I've got no problems with you, but seeing as you guys have the advantage in numbers, it's in my interest to keep you separated," he said.

"We can fight later," she spit out as she moved to swim by Karma. "I've gotta help him out."

"You asked for it!" shouted Karma. "Acid Pillar!"

He swiped his hand at her and a torrent of purple acid shot forward.

At first Chel had her arms crossed as she braced for the attack. A moment or so passed and she peered over to find the torrent of acid quickly dissolving in the water.

In the stands Achilles sat next to Rook and both of them had a look of shock on their faces, like most of the audience.

"This is exactly why he should have stayed around for training!" shouted Achilles. "I was going to do water combat today!"

"Really?" asked Rook as she completely doubted the brunette.

"Well, I, uh. Maybe!" he shouted.

"You've got bad luck," said Chel as she eyed the mage who floated in disbelief.

She swam directly at Karma and planted an open palm in his jaw before swimming down to help Rocket.

Tally had already found her way down to help Rocket and the orca.

Both mages were quickly locked into a round of dodging and failing to land a blow on the now furious whale.

Chel stopped just above the whale and unleashed a wave of green magic on the creature, instantly calming and bringing it to a floating stop.

"That's amazing!" cheered Tally.

"Yeah that was something," said Rocket in disbelief.

The three mages floated around the orca, each one eyeing a key.

"Hmm, there are 3 of us and only 2 keys," said tally as if she was contemplating a huge dilemma. "What do we do?"

"We're supposed to fight," said Rocket.

"Oh, really?" asked Tally.

"YES!" shouted Aoba from the stands. "Haven't you been paying attention?"

"Hehe, not really," said Tally as she thought back to the candy she had waiting for her.

"Ok then," said Rocket as magic pulsed through his legs, strengthening them, and he kicked off the water to shoot towards the orca.

"Violet Djinn's Wing," laughed Tally.

Her fist struck the open water and its force carried directly into Rocket landing square in his face.

"What the hell?" shouted Rocket once he realized she hadn't moved to hit him and still dealt damage.

"Hehe," chuckled Aoba to herself. "I love Tally, but she can be a bit of an airhead even when she's fighting. "But that doesn't stop her from being extremely dangerous. She saw him use the water to kick off of and realized she could use the water as a medium for her punch. She's gonna cruise through this."

"Hmm, okay. Let's go," smiled Tally. "Violet Djinn's Talon… Wing… Talon!"

She quickly unleashed the three attacks and they carried through the water at her opponents. She noted a quick fatigue that hit her, but quickly shook off the feeling.

Chel bent backwards to dodge one attack, while the others closed in on Rocket.

Once the attack passed over her, Tally was just above her, spinning out into a kick which landed in Chel's side and sent her crashing to the arena floor.

Rocket had quickly swam out of the way, but had been met with the angry fist of a Scarlet Phantom mage.

Karma had recovered and swam back down to his opponents, this time choosing to fight the other Nova Eos mage. His fist connected with Rocket's gut forcing the air from his lungs.

"I'm not leaving here without a key," he said as he pushed further into Rocket.

Though it hurt like hell, Rocket pulsed his magic through both of his arms, strengthening them. He grabbed hold of Karma's fist pulling him in closer.

Another quick pulse strengthened his knee just before he buried it Karma's chest.

The attack hurled Karma through the water until he crashed into the arena wall. His body collided with enough force to bounce off and he was immediately met with another punch to the face.

"Acid Shot!" screamed Karma, making sure he was close enough to Rocket so that the attack wouldn't have time to dissipate.

The purple poison easily burned through Rocket's clothes as he retreated. He tore off the scraps hanging from him and the audience could tell his skin had started to burn.

"That hurt like hell!" he shouted aloud to himself.

"I hope this works," added Rocket as he thought over what Tally had done.

His magic pulsed through both hands, strengthening them and he quickly clapped them together.

The clap generated a small wave of force which quickly grew until it had pinned Karma to the wall.

Though Rocket could tell he was extremely tired for only having used his magic a few times, he prepared to attack Karma once more.

Chel and Tally had been locked in a fierce battle on the arena floor; each one trying to land a blow on the other.

Where Chel would punch, Tally would dodge and attempt to land a kick which would be dodge by Chel as well; neither of them giving the other much time to prepare a spell.

Tally swept her leg at Chel's feet and the platinum blonde mage jumped over it. Tucking her body as she was off the ground and spinning out into a kick aimed at Tally.

The Djinn slayer rolled out of the way and the kick crashed into the arena floor, cracking it.

From a crouched position, Tally leapt at Chel, tackling her to the ground.

Once pinned to the floor, Chel kicked up and hurled Tally over her forcing her to come to a sliding stop a few feet away.

They both caught their breath for a moment before they readied themselves for another round. However, they were quickly interrupted.

The wave of force generated by Rocket eventually reached them both and knocked them off their feet.

"What's he doing up there?" asked Chel as she stood up and peered over in Karma and Rocket's direction.

"So cool!" cheered Tally from where she sat.

She hopped to her feet and a violet color could be seen coating her feet. She kicked off the arena floor and darted towards Karma.

Rocket was currently pulsing magic through his legs and fists once more. With Karma pinned, he planned on finishing him.

Rocket kicked off the water once more and sped towards Karma with his fist cocked back.

Just as his fist near Karma, Tally's fist crashed into Rocket's stomach.

"Fight me," she pleaded.

Before he could catch his breath, her foot was already closing in on his head.

With no means of dodging, he braced for impact and found that the attack hadn't reached him.

Chel had intervened. She had made the quick and rash decision of helping him instead of taking a key for herself. She blocked the attack for him.

"I'd say 50 rounds should cover it," she said as Rocket composed himself.

"What?" he asked in complete bewilderment.

"I helped you instead of winning, now you owe me 50 rounds," she said closing the negotiations.

"I,- " he began before deciding to just be grateful. "Thanks… I guess."

"So, I'll fight both of you?" asked Tally.

"Both of us?" asked Chel. "We were pretty even down there. I think the two of us stand a fairly good chance at winning."

"Mmhm," said Tally. "True."

"Nope," said Karma. "How about all three of us?"

"Hmm," said Tally in actual thought. "I don't think I could beat all of you. I'd probably have to eat first."

A look of surprise spread across Tally's face and then her gleeful smile took on a hint of slyness.

Karma charged at her, his acidic magic charging and condensing as he closed in on her. "You can eat after you lose!" he shouted.

Once he was sure this acid would be too dense to dissolve, he fired on Tally.

The purple acid closed in on her and she remained unmoving.

Once the attack collided, Karma's smile quickly turned confusion. He watched as the acid was slowly consumed, leaving nothing, but an ecstatic Tally.

"What was that?" asked Rook.

"Uh, Tally is a Djinn slayer. She can eat violet magic."

Rook's jaw dropped in shock. "You didn't think it was important to tell the guy with purple magic, not to his the one person who could eat it!"

"I was gonna tell him today?" said Achilles as he tried to sound assuring.

She clenched her fists and every muscle in her body could be seen tightening as magic surged through her. Her once purple eyes became a darker violet and she had her bright smile still in place.

"Now, I'm ready," she cheered.

She was quickly behind the Nova Eos mages, "Violet Djinn's Twin Wings!"

Both of her fists collided with the Chel and Rocket, knocking them into one another.

"And Talon!" she shouted as she dropped her leg on the both of them, forcing them all the way to the arena floor with a crash.

Karma was still in shock, but he had no time to think because she quickly in front of him; smiling as she readied both her fists.

She unleashed a flurry of punches, which fired off at unthinkable speeds. Each one pounded into his chest, pushing him back inch by inch and knocking the wind out of him little by little.

She clasped her hands together and buried them in the back of Karma's head forcing down to where Chel and Rocket were struggling to their feet.

"Oh man," frowned Tally. "I was so happy after I ate, I might have over done it."

"We're not done yet!" shouted Rocket as made a final push to his feet.

He charged even more magic into his hands and prepared to strike Tally down.

"Oh goody," she cheered as she clapped happily. "I'll try my best too."

She gathered her magic in her lungs in preparation for her attack and then fired upon all three of her opponents.

"Violet Djinn's Hymn!"

The torrent of purple magic came crashing down on them, but just before it hit its mark, Rocket began punching the water; firing punch after punch at the blast.

"I'm not staying here," said Karma as he decided to finally make a run for the keys.

Rocket continued for as long as possible and then just barely his punches managed to split the hymn in half, so that one half went to his left and the other to his right.

He and Chel were safe in the middle, but Karma had made a poor decision and as his luck would have one of the split torrents crashed into him knocking him unconscious.

Tally landed on the arena floor and began poking him curiously, "I over did it," she chuckled nervously.

"You think?" asked Chel.

But before she could continue, her eyes landed on Rocket. He was on his knees and seemingly grasping for something. He was struggling to speak.

"What's wrong?" asked Tally.

Chel scanned the man for a second longer before thinking about her next move.

She quickly grabbed his body and began swimming to the surface after she realized he was drowning.

Tally caught on as well and swam up beside them, quickly casting her healing djinn spell.

Before they reached the surface, Master Jade appeared in the water above them.

He was signaling for them to hand over Rocket, because passing through the water was a disqualification.

With no time to argue, he took Rocket and quickly exited the arena.

Chel and Tally watched him leave before realizing they were still in a match.

The realization then dawned on them that they were the only two combatants left. So they swam to the orca and each grabbed a key. The water soon drained out of the arena and their guild mates came down to congratulate them.

Eli's appearance down in the arena below quickly soured their moods.

"Did everybody enjoy the fight?" he called out to the audience before turning to the mages.

The audience roared in excitement, but Chel quickly spat out, "How did he almost drown?"

"He used too much magic," said Eli.

"He used too much magic? The breathing apparatus fed off our magic?!" she shouted again.

"It did," he said simply.

"Why not tell us this?!" yelled Chel. "He could've been hurt."

"He could've," said Eli.

She felt something just on the verge of snapping at the man's callousness, but before she could move, she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

She turned to find Hazel, her eyes pleading with Chel to come down.

Hazel was aware of how angry Chel must have been. She felt the same and she was sure everyone else was angry as well. But without Master Jade to defend them, Eli would just as likely attack them as he would insult them. It was best not to spend any time around the man.

With Chel silently conceding for the moment, each mage left the arena and the audience left as well.

Leaving Eli to himself.

The Bell Kin stood in the middle of the arena. Looking at his handiwork that was at work until a voice interrupted him.

"Sir," a voice called out.

Eli turned to face the voice with a bright smile on his face. "Arthas!" he said happily. "Have you called them?"

"Yes sir," said Arthas as he turned to call in the people in question.

Three people walked into the arena and a devilish grin crossed Eli's face.

"Good," said Eli. "Now we can begin the next stage of my plan."

* * *

**November 16, X791, 5:00 P.M, Town Square**

Lucia practically radiated anger. Most of the people of Brightholt seemed to understand this and completely avoided the celestial mage as she walked to the coliseum.

All, but one man.

"You're kind of early, aren't?" asked Vado as he walked up beside her.

She sent Vado a glare that normally would have meant the end of their banter, but he pressed on.

"Your match isn't for another 2 hours, maybe you should warm up back at home," he continued. Even making an attempt to stop her by catching her hand.

"Vado," she began. "If you don't want to lose that hand, I'd suggest moving it."

"Well," he said as he released his grip. "I doubt you could inflict such a wound on the Great Vado! You're just a coliseum brat anyway."

Lucia felt her eye twitch in annoyance before she realized he was purposely trying to get her to explode here, before her match.

"Thanks Vado," she said before she continued on to the coliseum. "I'll be fine."

"If you say so," he sighed. "Just make sure not to forget, you're not mad at Sai. Hell, you're probably not even mad at Rosca. Although he does have it coming to him one way or another," Vado added as he thought over the tournament bracket.

"Do take out your anger on Sai and anyone else you might fight would be childish," he said.

"The real enemy here is Eli," added Vado. "He's truly a disgrace of a knight."

"He's no knight," said Lucia. "You know better."

"Ah yes. The Great Vado does know these things," he said. "But he also knows that this tournament won't end well. Master Seigfreid sent me to tell you to be aware that something else is definitely going on with Eli. He's planning something and we are to be ready."

* * *

**November 16, X791, 5:00 P.M, Town Square**

Sou sat on a bench beside his companion Sukki. She'd felt more at ease lately as Sou seemed relatively at ease.

"Are you not worried about your match later this week?" she asked after 15 minutes of simply sitting.

"Not really," he said. "I think I've got a fair shot against Javier. But it feels different this time around. I feel like we'll have a good fight."

She seemed pleased to hear this, but was spared the moment of happiness, as Cerise and Sai were soon before the both of them.

"You seem pretty relaxed for someone who has a match this week," said Cerise.

He eyed her with a slight smile on his face before he said, "You seem pretty relaxed for someone who lost a match."

She was about to say something, but Sai's snickering quickly caught her off guard and she stalked off. "What?!" he shouted. "You walked right into that!"

He turned to Sou now. "You coming to see my match?" he asked.

Sou and Sai had been on fairly good terms from the time Sou joined, but Sai's quick temper would occasionally put them at odds. Today seemed to be one of the good days. "Sure I'll come," said Sou.

"Catch you later," said Sai as he walked towards a fuming Cerise.

"Are you really going to watch the match?" asked Sukki.

"Yeah, I think I will," said Sou.

"But what about all the things they did and said," she pressed.

"Well. I don't like those things, but at the end of the day they are our guild, our family," he said as he stood to his feet and gestured for Sukki to follow.

* * *

**November 16, X791, 5:00 P.M, Town Square**

Rex Vermend had joined the Eternal Knights a few weeks ago and found that he truly felt as if he was home. He enjoyed the guild, he liked the places for food around him, the people were nice. Everything was great.

This was exactly why he was so confused right now. Why did he feel like he had made the wrong choice in guild? Why did he wish he had chosen another place to call home?

For anybody who was watching him, the answer was clear. Every day since he stumbled into the town square he had returned at the same time for one particular reason.

Across the market he was mindlessly trudging through was a young woman who was clearly from Scarlet Phantom. Each day, she passed through the town at about the same time and each time, his eyes were glued to her.

Marionette of Scarlet Phantom. This was who had caught his eyes and had Rex questioning every decision he'd made. He couldn't explain it, but there was something about her snow white hair or maybe her pale skin or maybe the laugh he'd heard from her once. Maybe it was everything, but as most crushes go, he hadn't acted on it.

As luck would have it though today he stopped in front of the wrong vendor to do his spying.

"If you're gonna just stare at her than you could do it from somewhere else, said the gruff older man. "You're blocking people."

Rex stared down at the cart full of apples and smiled nervously before nodding and quickly turning to his left. His haste had him collide with a shorter figure sending them to the ground.

He paid no mind to the person he'd knocked down, his eyes scanning for Marionette until eventually realized he could no longer find her.

"Damn it," he said quietly. "I lost her."

"Whoever you lost. I don't think it is a cause for you to be so rude," said the person he'd knocked down.

Rex's eyes landed on them and went wide immediately. On the ground was Marionette.

He quickly rushed to pick her up, but was shot down, when she knocked his hand aside.

"Don't bother," she said as she stood on her own. "Someone so rude needn't worry about imitating manners."

"Ah," he began, but it was too late as she had already walked off. "I'm sorry."

There was a tap on his shoulder and the vendor handed him an apple as he turned. "It's on me," he said once he saw the defeated look in Rex's eyes.

* * *

**November 16, X791, 7:00 P.M, Coliseum, Main Arena**

Vado's words had reached Lucia and succeeded in calming her down. At least this way, she wouldn't do anything rash in her fight against Sai. He might have been right about Eli being the cause of everything, but that wouldn't stop her from fighting her way to Rosca and being as childish as she wanted.

So when Eli disappeared from the arena and Sai stood in front of her with his usual cocky grin. It was clear what would happen once the match began.

"Begin!" shouted Eli and a knee was quickly placed in Sai's jaw launching him across the arena as Lucia landed.

"Open: Gate of Misfortune: Number 16: The Tower!" she barked and a heavily armored tall man whose eyes were obscured by a black helmet came forth.

"Our opponent is Sai my lady," said The Tower.

"Yes," she said with an intense focus as she eyes the blond mage pulling himself from the wall.

He had an excited look on his face and in moments his body was aflame. He ran at her, setting the ground on fire as he did so.

He reared back to punch her and was quickly blocked by the armored giant.

She slid out from behind the shield and knowing better than to attack the flames head on, she called forth 'The Moon'.

The ice summon immediately sprang into action, encasing Sai in flame which gave Lucia an opening to drive a fist into Sai's jaw, sending him sliding along the ground.

He lay there for a moment before jumping to his feet.

"Okay, so you're still plenty strong," he said as fiddled with his jaw. "But I think we should step it up a notch."

"It's meaningless for me to say it Sai, but you know you don't stand a chance here right," said Lucia. "I won't be held accountable for anything that happens to you."

"Oh is that the speech you gave Rosca or Christina," he shot back.

A dark look etched its way into Lucia's eyes as she dismissed both The Tower and The Moon.

"Open: Gate of Sacrifice: Number 12: The Hanged Man," she nearly whispered as a young blonde man in a red jumpsuit appeared.

"Oh, if you're calling me out someone must have pissed you off," teased the blonde spirit.

The spirit quickly realized the tension in the air and narrowed his eyes at the only thing that could have caused it.

"I'll be quick then," he said nervously.

"No," she said as she breathed deeply. "Take your time."

He extended his hand out towards Sai and several ropes burst forth from his body.

Sai turned his body to flames and set off around the arena.

As he ran, he was forced to jump out of the way as many of the ropes closed in on him.

Each time a rope would close in on him, he'd jump out of the way, just as it pierced the ground.

Sai had nearly run the entire circumference of the arena when he realized that another group of ropes were closing in from the other side.

Just as both groups collided he jumped to the wall of the arena and began running along it.

"Damn it!" he yelled. "Flare Blitz!"

He unleashed several small balls of fire at Lucia from where he was running.

Each of them were quickly whipped away by the ropes and exploded along the wall.

Sai still had to duck and weave through the army of ropes that was slowly encasing the entire arena.

A trio of ropes wound themselves around each other to become a thicker rope and as he dodged the smaller ones, the bigger one would lurch forward at him to attack him.

He turned towards it and buried a fist of fire in its end, lighting it on fire, but the fire was quickly put out as it was smothered.

"Okay then!" shouted Sai. "Let's do this!"

He landed on the floor and began charging and building his magic up.

All of the ropes slowly encircling him and then he released it all at once. "Pyro Blast!"

It extended out from him like a whirlwind of fire, quickly setting the ropes ablaze.

His plan worked and as the ropes thinned out, he sent Lucia a smug look.

But before he could advance any further, the fire was quickly smothered by even more ropes, he was surrounded and as they closed in further, his fire died out. Eventually he was entirely encased and when the ropes receded, he was held up in the air by his legs and arms.

"I could torture you, you know," said Lucia as she walked up to him.

"So get on with it then," he said as he spit out a bit of blood.

From the stands he could see Narissa walking away.

"No," she said. "You're gonna surrender."

"Ha!" he laughed. "No chance in hell. The time limit is likely to take me before that shit ever happens."

She took out another key and Sai's eyes went wide in fear as he instantly recognized it.

"Open: Gate of Change: Num-"

"He gives up," said Madeline who landed in the arena alongside Sou.

"What are you doing?!" shouted Sai.

"That's a forfeit for Mr. Nuria," sang Eli. "Better luck next time, Number 6."

Lucia released him, but as soon as he landed he shot off towards Madeline.

"I said that's enough," seethed Eli and then with a snap of his fingers Sai was gone.

"Where is he?" asked Sou.

A loud screaming from within the arena, quickly revealed him to be fairly close.

"Ah, never mind," said Sou. He nodded to Lucia and then to his leave.

"Thank you for holding back Lucia," said Madeline. "We appreciate it."

"Tell Rosca," began Lucia. "I'm coming for him. No matter who I have to fight through."

Madeline gave a slight nod and then left the arena.

Down in the bowels of the arena Sai was tearing a room apart. Sou entered with Madeline behind him and his anger soon pointed towards them.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" he shouted as fire encased his arm. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't burn you alive."

"Mistress Narissa, is going to come in here," began Madeline. "She'll be furious with me, but she won't lash out at me. In fact, she'll just be flustered and leave."

"Are you crazy?!" he shouted. "If I don't kill you, she will."

"If I'm right, will you hear me out tomorrow?" asked Madeline.

Before he could give his answer the door slammed open.

Narissa stood in the doorway glaring at Sai; clearly furious that he had been beaten down so badly in the arena. It didn't matter if Lucia was ranked higher, the only people who should be Scarlet Phantom was Scarlet Phantom.

But just before she opened her mouth to scream at him, her eyes landed on Madeline and Sou. Both mages standing perfectly still.

Even if she had walked off, she'd have heard the decision by forfeit over the loud speaker.

Sai waited for what he believed to be Madeline's punishment, but it never came. She bit her lip in anger and eventually turned away and walked out.

His eyes went wide in confusion. "What's happening?" he asked as he sat down.

"I'll tell you," said Madeline. "Things are changing."

* * *

_**Author's Note**_

Special thanks to everyone for their support.

**How's it going?**

Fun fact #1: So someone asked how I come up with names for OCs. It got me thinking about all of my OCs and then I remembered another writer used to do Fun Facts from time to time. So I thought I might try my hand at it. Here goes. I usually come up with OC names by whatever is around me. From time to time, I'll use a derivative of a name from a game I'm playing. I actually have at least one name from Final Fantasy X in each of my stories. Eli's name was a bit different. Another writer named a character Eli in a story I read and I came to not like him. Haha, so I used Eli as the first name for The Collector. He's actually still listed as The Collector in all of my notes.

So many of you are aware there was a delay. I had posted about it my 'News' Forum. So if you're interested in updates like that, feel free to follow it.

If anyone has a critique they want to share, feel free to do so. I greatly appreciate all help.

**Origm2012 News**

Thanks for reading.


	14. Welcome Back To Brightholt

**July 9th, X792, 11:00 A.M, Alliance Hall**

Jade looked around Alliance Hall as he waited for the other masters to arrive. Even now he was the first to arrive. When they first started these meetings, Narrisa had tried to appear too busy to be first and Roy had always been too forgetful to show up on time. Jade tried to find the humor in his counterparts' continuation of this unspoken tradition, but to be honest; it was all just a little too much for Jade. He had been left with a task by his old friend that just didn't seem fair.

But before he could remain sullen any longer the Eternal Knights' guild master walked in the room. Vado Boin. The extremely tall and muscular fair skinned man with short brown hair and a matching set of brown eyes maintained his air of arrogance despite his role as guild master. He wore his standard red dress shirt and a black neck tie, but had switched from his pair of casual black shorts to black dress pants. On top of his long white overcoat which normally hid the man's physique was the Eternal Knights' emblem. He also wore a small pendant that had belonged to Seigfreid.

"Nice of you to show up," grumbled Master Jade.

"Mhmm," answered Master Vado as he missed Jade's sarcasm. "I had many important matters to attend before coming here."

A small bit of frustration took over the normally calm and collected Jade. These meetings were important and if Vado couldn't understand that even now, then there was a problem.

"These meetings should be a priority Vado," said Jade. "They helped with a num-"

"I'm aware of what these meetings helped accomplish," Vado interjected. "They helped create false unity between the guilds. They helped you all air nonsensical grievances and they helped the creation of the coliseum which singlehandedly allowed us to be nearly undone."

Vado's words had value. Eli had nearly wiped them all out and the fact that his goal actually gained any form of success was even more evidence of the three guild masters' failures. But that didn't matter currently for Jade. He was left to look after the city and he would do just that. And the first step for him was ensuring that the other guild masters understood the value of these meetings.

However, his retort never came as the portal door to Scarlet Phantom and the guild master walked through.

"Enough Vado," Madeline said quietly. "If that's how you feel about the previous value of these meetings then the best thing you can do is to work towards them being worthwhile now."

She then walked over to the small round table that the other masters stood around and bowed slightly before apologizing for being late.

In truth, Madeline's ascent to guild master had been a rocky one, but all of her guild mates had agreed in the end that no matter what she was the best choice to lead them after Narissa. However, Master Narissa had successfully concealed just how hard a guild master's job was, even from her assistant, so Madeline was still coping with her duties.

Madeline wore a black and red body suit with the sleeves cut short. She had a black cloak which was draped over her shoulders and hung to the floor. Her ginger hair now fell just below her waist and she had what seemed to be a permanent solemn look plastered across her face.

A grimace passed over Vado's face before he yielded and took his seat, prompting the others to take their seats as well. "The Great Vado will always forgive you for being late Madeline," he said.

Jade seconded that notion before they began discussing their guilds. They discussed the new team based system which had been implemented a few months ago to ensure mission completion and safety. They talked about the idea of reopening the coliseum which had been closed since Eli had been stopped last year. While Vado was against the idea, the other two masters seemed open to the coliseum, but agreed that it couldn't return to its original state. The townspeople had been unable to see how much danger the mages were in and when the mages of Brightholt needed them, they sided with Eli since he was providing them with entertainment. Only afterwards did they realize that it wasn't all a show and he was actually attempting to eradicate the very same guild mages.

Just before the meeting was closed, Vado asked about the progress of a search party.

"Have they made any progress in locating Eli's co-conspirators?" asked Vado.

At this even Madeline perked up a bit and her eyes were glued to Jade.

"They haven't made any contact in a while," said Master Jade. "However, that likely means that there is a trail for them to follow and they're busy tracking."

In the fallout of Eli's damage, a group of mages stepped forward to locate Eli's 3 team mates and whoever helped him achieve even a fraction of his destructive goals.

When he realized that Vado and Madeline weren't reassured in anyway by that answer he reminded them, that if those two mages were to run into any trouble, he'd be more worried for whoever was facing them.

* * *

**July 9th, X792, 11:00 A.M, Eternal Knights' Training Grounds**

Eli's Tournament had been a farce the entire time. It's true goal all along had been to tire out the mages of Brightholt and so after the Battle Royals had finished, his plan stepped into its next phase. The 16 mages who had advanced to the tournament where the winner would receive a Blood Pact Artifact was to be done all in a single day. The participant of the tournament had no choice, but to keep fighting one another until only one stood.

This tournament required one to have the utmost stamina, strength and combat ability to come out on top. As well as the ability to keep fighting one's fellow mages. And yet, the winner of this tournament now sat in front of Adrienne and truthfully she didn't resemble that package entirely. Adrienna had seen her fight that day and she certainly had the perseverance to complete her goal, but she seemed to kind and compassionate to be able to ruthlessly fight mage after mage simply for power. So Adrienne could only imagine what drove her to win that day.

She was training alongside Adrienne because, while Eli's tournament had been a trick, he couldn't help, but put on a good show and he actually awarded the winner with a Blood Pact Artifact. However, he gave them no choice in the matter and to make even more of a show out of it, he had the winner publicly complete the ritual intertwining the wielder and the weapon.

And so Chiyori sat before Adrienne trying to learn how to control her magic once more.

However, Adrienne could see the hesitation and fear on Chiyori's face.

"Hey," Adrienne started. "There's no rush here Chiyori. We'll get there eventually."

The hazel eyed girl wore a look of worry. She had been working with her team mates on a mission and lost control of her magic. In an attempt to make matters better, she made them worse by calling on her blood pact artifact. This left her nearly dead and from that moment it was decided that she couldn't take any more missions until she learned to handle her magic once more.

"Chiyori feels like she is missing a part of herself," she whimpered. "She just wants everything to get back to normal Adrienne. Chiyori wants to go on missions and not be a danger to the team."

Surprised at her openness, Adrienne said, "That's normal. When you formed your Blood Pact, a part of yourself was placed in the sword and a part of the artifact was placed in you. So we're never really whole until you unleash it."

She stood up and pulled Chiyori to her feet before continuing, "After you make the pact, it'll feel like you're not quite there. And this feeling will never change until you feel at peace with Selene. So our first job is to make sure you and she can communicate.

Adrienne held out both of her hands and Chiyori laid her own hands on top of her fellow mage. Her hands were covered in jet black gloves and once their hands touched, Ares lit up on Adrienne's hilt and Chiyori's gloves lit up as well.

Adrienne and Chiyori found themselves in an open pasture in the dead of night.

"Okay now Chiyori," began Adrienne. "Try and feel Selene's presence. This is her world and yours, so you simply have to call out for her and she'll come."

"Selene?" Chiyori asked hesitantly. "Can you and Chiyori talk?"

The pasture soon became less and less illuminated.

"Relax Chiyori," Adrienne said as she prepared for the worst. "She won't appreciate being feared by her own wielder."

"It's so dark and scary," whimpered Chiyori. "How can Chiyori use a power like this?"

At her words, the darkness that seemed to permeate every nook and cranny seemed to become thicker as if offended. It slowly felt like the darkness was grabbing hold of them and wrapping around them prompting Adrienne to act instinctively.

"Ares!" she shouted and the blade glowed brightly before dragging them back to reality.

"Whew," laughed Adrienne. "That was a close one."

She looked down at Chiyori who had already sunken to her knees in depression.

"Chiyori doesn't know how she's supposed to do this Adrienne. She just wants to go on adventures with the team. Chiyori wants to get stronger. Chiyori doesn't want to be a burden on them," she said now as tears slowly formed.

"Listen to me," said Adrienne as she lifted Chiyori's face up to see here eye to eye. "We'll figure this out and you'll be one of the strongest mages that ever was and you'll go on tons of adventures and we'll spar and do tons of fun stuff."

Chiyori couldn't help, but smile at Adrienne. "Thank you," she managed between sniffles.

"What happened here?" asked a scruffy voice.

Adrienne and Chiyori turned to find Ralph and Chel.

"Everything okay?" Chel asked hesitantly as she watched Chiyori wiping away tears.

In that first round of 16, Chel's opponent had been Chiyori and when the nature of the tournament was revealed, she couldn't bear to hurt her and so they quickly worked out a means for Chiyori to take the win. Ever since, Chel had felt a little guilty since the end result was Chiyori becoming connected to a Blood Pact Artifact.

Adrienne nodded affirmatively in response before welcoming Chiyori's team mates.

"Chiyori is glad you guys came here," the hazel eyed mage said. "Chiyori will work hard to make her team proud."

Ralph was the first to answer. "No worries squirt. Let's go and get something to eat to celebrate the first step towards being the strongest mages," he said knowing that would change the mood.

"Yeah!" shouted Chiyori. "We'll be the best!"

Chiyori walked off alongside Ralph, dragging Chel behind her; the platinum haired mage whispering a thank you for her help in the situation.

Now alone, Adrienne sighed to herself. "I wonder where the hell my team is," she said aloud.

* * *

**July 10th, X792, 4:00 A.M, Eastern Border of Fiore**

The most peculiar pair walked in the dead of night to avoid detection by whoever might have made the mistake of following them. Both figures were cloaked, but oddly enough they still stuck out like sore thumbs.

On the left a tall man wearing a black and red cloak was twirling a blade and on the right a short man wore a blue cloak and the ground seemed to crack beneath him.

"If you kill them before we get answers I won't overlook it Rosca," said the shorter man.

"I wouldn't dream of upsetting you Master Seigfreid," Rosca. "Besides, how else will we find Master Narissa's killer."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Well a short chapter to get back into things. Hopefully you enjoyed that as a lot of stuff got revealed. I know it isn't conventional to just forego the conclusion of an arc, but after a lot of preparation I'm confident that this is the best route for the story. It'll give us all a chance to get acclimated with the characters again and to explore new story lines while still explaining everything that happened in the chapters… That we'll be passing by.

So, if you've got a suggestion for your character that you want to share with me feel free to do so, however I'd greatly appreciate it if you message your original form with the new info.

I'm excited to work on this arc, but be aware that things will be a little slow at first until we get back into a regular flow. Between Rosca and Seigfreid working together, the new artifact and who helped Eli even attempt his plan of attack on Brightholt; I can't wait to write it.

I appreciate all of the support you all have given. The words of encouragement and even the checking in to see if I still have a pulse. It was very nice and I won't forget it. For the people who continued to work on ideas for their OCs and sent them over, thank you for having faith in me.

Thanks again. Hope you enjoyed it.


	15. The Old Man and the Magician

**July 10th, X792, 4:01 A.M, Eastern Border of Fiore**

The night still covered the wooded area that Seigfreid and Rosca had been walking through, but the moonlight gave enough of a visual to show unconscious bodies strewn all around the pair of mages.

Rosca was currently slumped over a tree stump watching the torture unfold before him.

"And you told me not to kill anyone, but you're fairly close to doing that yourself," Rosca sighed sarcastically.

A few feet from him, Master Seigfreid was hovered over their last conscious assailant. Magical energy radiated from his hand which was extended over the man, each pulse increasing the pull of gravity on him and crushing his bones more and more.

Master Seigfreid didn't answer him, but instead dialed up the power a little more forcing a scream and a plea for help out of the man.

"Please!" he cried. "I give. I give! I'll answer your questions!"

The man was dressed in a pure white ninja garb and once he felt the pulse of gravity lessen, he pulled off his face mask and breathed in deeply in attempt to calm himself.

"One. Why are you trying to kill us?" Masted Seigfreid asked monotonously.

"That's easy. You're a name popped up on a list of people to kill," he said.

Seigfreid and Rosca hadn't been quiet about their presence in Northern Fiore and that was simply because they didn't have any leads to go on. So they figured if enough noise was made, a lead would come to them.

"Two. Does the person who issued this list have a tie to a man known as The Collector?" continued Seigfreid.

'I've never heard of a man known as The Collector," the man quickly spat out.

This was an answer that many would have taken as a lie, but years of finessing his magic allowed Roy a peculiar side effect. He could feel the force of people's heartbeats and in most cases a liar's heart beat rapidly when they lied. Their captive's was steady, save for the random jumps whenever he looked over at Rosca.

However, this was progress still and now the Eternal Knight mage knew where to go in his questioning. Seigfreid narrowed his eyes and asked, "Three. Was Narissa on your kill list?"

"I don't know. That information is classified. Only the higher ups would have access to that knowledge," said the man.

Seigfreid wrinkled his nose in frustration at the answer. It wasn't that he didn't get an answer; it was the fact that his opponent's statement meant whoever was helping Eli belonged to a well-structured organization. Rosca picked up on that as well and in an instant flung a dagger across the little area into the man's shoulder forcing a cry out.

His mask turned into a coy smile as he practically laughed out, "My companion won't kill you. Morals and all that. But I'll skewer you if you leave out any details. This organization. I want all the details you have on it now."

Fear seemed to creep into his mind and a quick backtrack showed him where he had slipped up.

"All hail the Order of the White Knights!" he yelled just before piercing his chest with his right hand. Immediately, black lines covered his body and his magic power spiked as I began to radiate off of his body.

"He's gonna blow up," Rosca said in disgust. "We should go."

However, Roy remained focused. He raised both of his hands and began drawing energy together. The energy which was seeping off the assailant's body quieted down and with each twitch of Roy's fingers, Rosca could tell the energy was consolidating in the place it had erupted from.

The Scarlet Phantom mage even shook his head in slight amazement. "Every now and then I think about how frighteningly amazing it'd be to fight you Master Seigfreid. And then you do something like this and I realize… If I could have it my way, there's no one I'd rather die fighting than you."

Roy stayed quiet for a minute as he watched the man before him writhe in agony. "You're probably in more pain than you could ever fathom right now," he said coolly. "Magic like that is only meant to be bottled up once in a seal. For me to put it back in place, must be tearing at every cell in your body. And seeing as I have no way of saving you, you've doomed yourself. However, this new threshold of pain is sure to have given you a new perspective on things. So the faster you answer my questions, the faster I lay you to rest."

* * *

**July 10th, X792, 9:00 A.M, Eternal Knights Training Ground**

Adrienne lunged forward to dodge a gigantic golden hand crashing down on her. Barely a second passed before 3 more hands swept across the training grounds forcing her to jump up and into a spot she couldn't dodge Alice's attack from.

Her eyes widened as she realized how Alice had outmaneuvered her again. A fist came flying towards her and she made the only move she could to avoid completely losing.

"Ares!" she yelled upon drawing the blade. Her magical power rose up much higher with her artifact released.

As the fist came closer, she gripped the blade with both hands and spun overhead forcing it to collide with the giant's hand. She used the collision to propel herself onto the giant's arm and began running down it towards Alice.

"Tch, so fast," exclaimed Alice as she commanded the giant to try and swat Adrienne away.

The swordswoman leapt from arm to arm as she closed in on her team mate until she got close enough to clear the distance in one jump. She leapt from one of the golden arms at Alice. Inching closer and closer to her with each moment until a fist barreled through the ground just in front of Alice and collided with Adrienne.

Adrienne skyrocketed up and before she could regain her footing, another hand caught her in the air and set her back down again.

"Whew!" laughed Alice as she fell backwards in relief. "I thought you had me for a second."

Adrienne pulled her long black hair back behind her into a bun and her angry face could be seen.

"Oh come on, Adrienne," began Alice. "You can't be that mad I used the hand underground trick again."

"No!" she pouted. "I'm mad I got caught by it again."

This forced Alice into laughter before she remembered their deal. "Yeah well loser treats the winner to lunch. So, come on."

"Dang it!" yelled Adrienne. "That pretty much means I'm always gonna treat you to lunch."

"Yeah, until you get faster," Alice responded. "Once you get fast enough to account for all my hands, there's no way I'll be able to beat you. You've improved a lot over these last few months. Much higher top speed and you're even picking up on tactics… Occasionally."

"Yeah. Yeah. I'll get you eventually. That ground attack won't always work," she added.

"Then, I'll just have to show you something else if you ever get past it," chimed Alice as she ran ahead.

"Wait! What!? You've been holding back?" she called out as she chased after the red head.

* * *

**July 11th, X792, 10:00 A.M, Scarlet Phantom Guild Hall**

Currently every active guild member of Scarlet Phantom was present in the center of the guild hall. Madeline had called them all together to discuss the current mission status and livelihood of the guild. Prior to Eli's assault, Scarlet Phantom mostly generated revenue through the use of the Coliseum. With that out of service, their income had plummeted drastically. Even with the new Brightholt Mage rule of forcibly creating teams unless a specific circumstance is provided, a lot of teams were struggling to get into a flow of constantly working jobs.

However, the red head guild master was never one for providing encouraging speeches and so she now stood awkwardly before her guild thinking of how to tell them they needed to get in gear and start working.

She decided to go with her gut on it; Master Jade and Vado had put their faith in her. The guild put their faith in her. The only person to truly have any resistance to her leadership was Cerise, who believed she should lead. But that wasn't Madeline's current problem. Of course she'd have to come back to address that at another time, currently she wanted to show that she had faith in her mages to rise to the challenge ahead.

But her nervousness in how to proceed exactly left her standing in silence before them.

"Guild Master," Cerise said sarcastically. "You called us here for a reason, right?"

Her fellow mages words registered and as if on a new instinct, Madeline shot her look of disappointment. The feeling registered with Cerise immediately and she quieted down. Madeline couldn't really be mad at her. In fact it was that fire in her that she had even respected in Cerise. And with that insight, an answer came to her and Madeline knew how to proceed.

"We are losing," she began. Forcing shock to run through the battle hungry mages of Scarlet Phantom. "I don't know who thought it was okay for us to let shame fall on our mistress legacy, but that ends now. She may be gone. The Coliseum might be gone. A few people we thought were family might have even walked out on us in the aftermath, but that doesn't mean we stop being the best. We are Scarlet Phantom and only we can stand at the top. Does this city need peace? Yes. Does working with the other guilds help that? Yes. But does that mean we can become lazy and complacent and fall behind them because we don't have a ring to show superiority anymore?! No! We carry our mistress' legacy in us and being anything, but the best would have her turning over where she rests. Get your acts together and get to work."

Then, as if inspired by Narissa herself, she walked to her office quietly leaving her mages to reflect on their lack of success.

The Scarlet mages stood quietly as Madeline's words seeped in and stirred a fire in each of them.

Madeline sat quietly in her office waiting and hoping for the fire she knew to be in them to erupt.

"Tch. She's right," began Cerise. "I don't know about you all, but there's no way I could ever face our lady with our current string of mission failures."

And with that she and her team headed over to the mission board to take out a new mission.

Sai Nuria quietly walked up to the board and yanked a mission for himself down.

The Rythmia Siblings had been one of the few teams to actually maintain a steady success record as a team. And for lack of a better word, they were probably the best Scarlet Phantom team in the guild.

More and more teams began heading to the board and discussing missions and Fuyumi quietly excused herself and giddily ran into the office. "It worked Master. It worked!"

A relieved Madeline sat back into her chair and breathed a sigh of relief. "I know I can't do this the way our master did, but all I can do is hope that the path we take makes her proud."

* * *

**July 11th, X792, 11:00 A.M, Nova Eos Guild Hall**

Jackie sat a table with her team. This team consisted of herself, Kai Saroyan and Finn Dragiern. They were currently going over the next job and before them were 3 options. On 1 job they were sure to run into Aoba and Tally, so that'd be a quick scramble to see who would get it done first. Another had them revisiting the ruins where Aeden had first been found because a strange light had been seen emanating from it. The last seemed the most straightforward and was a quick bandit problem that would have them back in no time.

So while it was a straightforward decision for Jackie, her two team mates were stuck in their usual routine. Argue over the options, arm wrestle, lock into a tie for an hour or so and then she'd decide the outcome eventually.

"Can we hurry this up? I'm looking forward to leaving as soo-"

Her words got stifled in an instant as the doors to the tree guild burst open. Javier walked through the doors. In the months since the Eli incident, his hair had grown a little longer and he'd even gotten slightly more muscular. However, the most notable change was the seemingly lifeless look on his face. His cloak was in tatters and barely paid anyone any mind. He walked over to the bar, returned the guild's portion for the job to Master Jade and then went on his way to the dorms.

"Hey Javier," said Rau. "How was the j-"

"It was fine," he answered abruptly. "I'm tired. I'll be heading to bed."

He breezed right past Jackie without a word and headed up the elevator to the dorms.

A dejected look took root on her face and her team mates quickly put aside their childish routine to decide on a mission as quickly as possible.

Javier had become distant, cold and hurtful since the tournament. For whatever, he and Jackie were, they didn't last much longer after Javier's match with Sou Tsubaki. During the tournament, Sou managed to overwhelm Javier like never before. Sou's new outlook at the time seemed to give him a new edge he hadn't had before in combat and so Javier was quickly bested, but as was to be expected he refused to go down.

In the midst of their battle, he became more and more unhinged until his magic seemed to become unstable and then resettle in a new form. His power was absurdly stronger, but in his inexperience with it, it was tearing into him as he actually managed to beat back Sou. Sou was forced into a corner and reacted with a skill he was sure would tie Javier down until he was calm. Javier refused to go down quietly and prepared a torrent of magic he couldn't wield properly. The aftermath found Javier incapacitated and Sou too wounded to fight again later that week.

Afterwards, Javier was nearly a completely different person with only Master Jade seeming to have any understanding of what was going on. Slowly, but surely he shut himself away from everyone around him including Jackie until she herself couldn't be around him.

In their last argument, she pleaded with him to know what happened during that fight and before storming away he answered with a response she couldn't comprehend, "I heard my dead father's voice."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Phew. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry it was short again. I'm really trying to get everything together to provide you all with a story you'll enjoy. There are aspects to what I'm working on for this that some of you are aware of and others that some of you have no idea about. This Origm2012 Fairy Tail Universe is special to me because I think the effects on the characters throughout the stories and how they in turn affect the universe is important. If you all want to know more about that stuff, then follow the forum. The link is on my profile. I'll be sharing tidbits here and there because honestly, keeping all of this bottled up would probably drive me insane.

**This Is Important**

If I'm portraying your character even a little incorrect. Tell me. Don't hesitate to correct me. I promise I won't be offended in anyway.

If you messaged me about handing in content for your characters and I said to hold off for a few days, feel free to send it over now.

**Too Come**

A few new characters that would have joined since the Eli Incident will be introduced in the coming chapters.

There's a project that affects Brightholt greatly that a few of you are aware of. This will be happening soon. Within 1-2 weeks soon. I think. Don't hate me…

**Random Thoughts**

Am I the only person who could live with a spin off starring Rosca and Seigfreid?

Someone asked me what my favorite fight to write so far has been and honestly it's gotta be Rosca vs. Christina. (For this story)

Also feel free to ask me random stuff about the stories (Minus Spoilers). I had a reader ask for permission to ask me about a few things and I honestly hope I don't make you all feel like I'm a standoffish person or just scary in general.

**Special Thanks**

Special Thanks to all of you. Thanks for reading and allowing me to you write with your wonderful characters.


	16. Better Together

**Author Note: **So I'm back. As many of you know, my luck on the tech side of things has been rather poor the last two years. For the first time in a long time I have a steady means to write and access to all the plans from my old devices. However, there's been such a long gap in updates that I fell into the same hole as the last time. But I don't think it'd be fair to address it in the same way as last time, so I've decided to do recaps of what had been going on so far in The Brightholt Chroincles, The Most Free and Red Mirror. So if you happen to be new to these stories and are confused as to why you're reading something you just read, the reason is to recap all those who've been following since the beginning. We'll start light and try to work our way back. Without further ado…

**Recap: **Following the fall out from The Collector's attempts on the Brightholt, Seigfreid and Rosca were in search of answers on their own. The Eternal Knights and Scarlet Phantom were learning to function under new leadership in Vado and Madeline respectively. While some were happy about their new leaders, others were less than content. Adrienne had begun teaching Chiyori how to control her new magic, while the latter was becoming more and more content with her teammates Chel and Ralph. At the same time, Nova Eos was mostly sullen over Javier's new demeanor and the Rythmia siblings had quickly become one of Brightholt's best teams. The masters had decided that it would be for the best if their mages worked in teams more often and so in the time that the coliseum had been down, the mages of Brightholt were making great strides as teammates.

* * *

**July 20th, X792, 4:00 A.M, Out at sea**

"A simple mission was all I asked for," sighed Cammie. "But of course, the only job you want to do has us in a boat, in the middle of nowhere at four in the morning."

Cammie Xanthia was known for splitting her time between work as a mage and working with her mother in the Apothecary, but with the new changes put in place she had to take up work with a teammate and she'd figured, why not Rook? Despite, Rook being more closed off than most people, one thing was clear she loved creatures of all types and that was why the pair found themselves out in the water before the sun had even risen.

"How much further?" added Cammie. "I've got to get back to the apothecary before it opens."

"According to the fishermen, not much further," said the steel haired companion from behind her half worn balaclava mask.

After a few minutes Rook stopped rowing and the mages came to a halt.

"This is it?" asked Cammie as she spun around in her a seat a few times. "There's nothing here Rook."

"I guess we wait."

"Ahh," groaned Cammie. "I just wanted to get in, knock some bad guy around and get out."

Then boat the rocked abruptly.

"Oh. Looks like we don't have to wait after all," added Rook.

On cue, a sea snake several dozen meters in length burst out of the water, before diving down again.

"Corruption Paragon," called Rook as she summoned a large winged spider.

Glyph Magic: Load!" called Cammie. "I loaded it in triplicate, let's make this fast."

She positioned a glyph under each foot and a final one on right hand.

"Go Paragon!"

With that the winged spider went to work seemingly creating an entanglement of webs on the water's surface to form a battlefield.

Rook and Cammie hopped from the boat as soon as it finished luckily avoiding the re-emerging serpent. The mages watched as their boat was crushed into pieces.

"Damn it!" growled Cammie.

It roared at them before diving back into the water and circling beneath them.

"Paragon keep layering the web," said Rook as she scanned the water for the creature.

The fishermen had said that a frightening beast was scaring away the fish which had drawn Rook's attention to the mission. But when they had arrived the day before, they were told the creature only comes out early in the morning. The early morning was their greatest enemy.

"I can't see it," said Cammie.

"Neither can I Cammie."

With no means of seeing where the beast was coming from they were sitting ducks. It burst up through the water, tearing through some of the webbing again before diving at Cammie.

The glyphs under her feet making it easy to dodge before it dove under again.

"We need a way to attract its attention and hold it still Rook."

Cammie was surveying the battlefield looking for anything that might serve as a lure when it occurred to her, that the creature was only attacking her.

"The glyphs!" she yelled. "They're drawing him to me. Rook, fly up and spray the web with corruption. I've got an idea."

Without a moment's hesitation, Paragon grabbed hold of Rook and she began spraying the web with corruption which rested on the webbing while Cammie was using the propulsion of her glyphs to remain hovering high above the water.

The serpent broke through the water and leapt towards Cammie immediately, but the corrupted webbing caught it off guard and had it falling back to the water in pain.

"Glyph Magic: Burst Strike!" yelled Cammie as she condensed several charges into her fist.

With the glyphs under her feet she darted down towards the serpent in no time burying her fist in its side. The explosion sent the sea snake crashing down onto the webs where it began to writhe and struggle all the while entangling itself more.

It roared angrily as it spun over and over before quieting down eventually.

The mages stood on the webbing watching as it calmed down.

"Well, we got it down," said Cammie as she looked over the floating remains of their boat. "Now… How the hell do we get back?"

* * *

**July 20th, X792, 9:00 A.M, Eternal Knights Guild Hall**

When Vado was put in charge of the Eternal Knights he was told to look after everyone with all that he had. That said, Vado decided the best way for everyone to be safe and productive was to work in teams. With The Collector's attempts on Brightholt still lingering in everyone's mind, it wasn't hard to get the other masters to agree to it. However, that didn't mean that all the mages agreed. There were some mages who managed to plead their case and remain independent and then there were those who tried to plead their case and were denied. When that happened a lot of the mages then refused to try and find teammates. So in response, Vado placed them in teams.

One such mage was Damien Stones. Initially he'd wanted to try working as a mage on his own, but Vado insisted that he work with a team and so Damien found himself seated beside Lily, Rex and Rory. They were preparing for the mission they had chosen. They were to accompany a mountain expedition east of Brightholt and so Damien had been trying to get his team out the door for the last half hour, but they'd been more preoccupied with seemingly anything, but the mission.

"We've got to get moving guys," he said for the fifth time. "The expedition team is gonna be waiting on us and I'd like to actually make money off the job, so let's hurry up."

Lily, the phoenix slayer, hopped to her feet with her cat Crystal on her head and a bag far too big for her on her back. "I'm ready," she cheered before promptly falling over.

"Here switch with me,"said Rex after pulling her up. With the bag in his hands, his eyes widened in shock as he struggled to strap it onto his back.

"What'd you put in there?" asked Rory.

"Just the essentials," shrugged Lily unzipping it a bit to show what seemed like a month's supply of cat food.

"Where do you think we're going?" asked Damien. "The mission is to accompany an expedition team for a few days. And you forgot to pack food for yourself."

"Oooh," began Lily. "I thought we had decided we would do the mission with the gemstone near the Northern Shore?

"No, you said the gemstone sounds cool. Then you fell asleep and the rest of us said we didn't want to ask a team with an S-class to accompany us," added Rex.

"Oh, riiiiiight," laughed Lily. "It was a good nap though."

They spent another half hour rearranging and repacking Lily's bag and then the team was out the door. Damien, Rex, Rory, Lily and Crystal all heading out to the eastern gate to meet the expedition team.

It didn't take long for them to meet up with them and before they knew it they were all heading towards the mountains.

"So what are you all looking for in the mountains?" asked Rex. "Diamonds? Fossils?"

One of burlier men of the group instantly piped up. "We're gonna blow it up!" he half laughed.

Not realizing that his joke missed its mark, he continued laughing while all the mages watched him in confusion.

"Come again?" said Damien.

"We're gonna blow it up," he responded casually before being clonked on the head by who appeared to be the foreman of the group.

"He means, we're gonna see if there's a path that can be blown up," he began. "We've been hired to scout and initiate the expansion of a rail system through the mountains. The company which hired us believes that it'll allow goods, medicine and all of those things to be sent around Fiore easier."

"Ohhhh," said the group in unison before staring over at the worker.

"Yup. He's a dumbass," added the foreman.

"But I don't understand," began Lily. "It sounds like you're doing something good. Why would you need protection if you're not hiking, but merely scouting out the area."

Everyone's eyes whipped to Lily in surprise. because she made a lot of sense. She made a good point.

"You feeling okay Lily?" asked Damien.

"Yeah, why?" asked a confused Lily. "Did I say something wrong?"

With a quick shake of his head, Damien turned to the Foreman. "She's got a good point," he said. "What aren't you telling us?"

Realizing there was no way around what they were asking, the foreman shrugged and said, "Well. The company we work for has been getting a lot of threats. There's no proof, but the company believes that other competing companies have ill intentions."

With nothing to be done about that information, the group agreed to continue the expedition. They had been hiking for the better part of a day. Stopping here and there to get rest or take a break. Currently they were resting on a small plateau they found.

"Everyone ready to go now?" asked the foreman to a mostly resounding yes.

Just as the group was packing up, there was a slight explosion up higher on the mountain side freeing up a collection of rocks.

"The rocks are coming down!" yelled Damien. "Diamond Make Canopy!"

The rocks continued crashing down for quite some time, but when they stopped the group stopped to survey the damage.

"Everyone alright?" asked Rex.

Rory and Lily were already looking over the members of the expedition team, but a something frightening quickly occurred to them.

"Damien. Some of the team is missing," they both said.

* * *

**July 20th, X792, 7:00 P.M, Southern Fiore**

"I said I got it!" yelled Chel before flipping over one bandit and placing both boots into the face of another.

"And I said, that rewards is mine. Flare Blitz!" roared Sai, scorching a number of bandits.

Chel's team and Sai were currently fighting off scores of bandits in a hideout in Southern Fiore.

"How does this keep happening?" laughed Ralph.

"Chiyori doesn't know," began the youngest mage. "But it's always fun to watch."

"You're doing this on purpose," grunted Chel as she elbowed one bandit in the stomach, slipped between another's legs and leaping up to uppercut another.

"Who the hell are they?" asked a bandit.

"Well the one with a loud mouth is my team mate and the other one is someone who conveniently always has the same mission as us," answered Ralph before realizing who was speaking to him. Then he elbowed the bandit, instantly breaking his nose.

"How about this, whoever takes out more bandits gets the whole reward?" smirked Sai before launching a bandit through the wall.

"You're on," grunted Chel as she punched a bandit and sent him flying at Sai.

The fire mage ducked instinctively, "You did that on purpose!" he yelled.

"Oops, my bad. Here comes three more," she grunted before kicking each of them his way. "Try and keep up at least."

Before long all the bandits were laid out on the floor.

"We'll be taking that reward now!" Chel angrily stomped.

"You're as bad at math as you are a mage I guess," sneered Sai. "I clearly won that."

"Nope," began Ralph. "Looks like Chel won this time."

"What was that?" Sai asked, quickly readying a flame.

"HA!" laughed Chel. "So we'll add sore loser to your list of shitty qualities."

"Me?! Look who's talking."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"What do you think it means? Or is your problem more than just counting?"

"Geez. Get a room already," laughed Ralph.

He was too busy laughing to feel the glares radiating his way or too notice that Chiyori had already move out of the way.

"Blue Desire!"

"Flare Blitz!"

"Oh crap."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Well it felt good to write that. I'm glad to be back with this story. It has been more than 2 years since I started this story and I wish things would have gone differently with the updating, but all I can do is try to make strides in giving out good content regularly from here on out.

All of the OCs I have received for this story up to this point have intros planned and will be used at some point. With that said submissions will remain closed.

Thanks for all of the support over the last two years.


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